The Desolation Era
by ShadesEdge
Summary: High school is tough enough, but if you're Xen, a depressed, mute Umbreon who's bullied daily because of what he is, it's even worse. When Vui, an innocent Espeon, stands up for him, will he be able to muster the courage to protect them both from the enemies they now share? All they know is that it won't be easy. Rated M for language, sexual themes, and traumatic scenes.
1. Chapter 1: The Outcast

**Disclaimer: Pokémon isn't mine but the OCs and ideas are! :D**

**We made it everyone. My second story! This one was amazing to write, although it doesn't focus as much on action and adventure as it does romance and emotions. I'll be uploading this story every Sunday and my other story (go check it out) every Wednesday :3 I'm planning two more releases pretty soon as well, but that's a different idea haha. These chapters will be longer from the start, so expect chapters pushing 6k words each upload!**

**A huge thanks goes out to ThePenguin79 for keeping me sane and entertained while writing and to arcanineandlucariofan for sticking with me ;)**

**So onto this new story! Please review and leave me some feedback on how to make this better, and I'll talk to you all soon! :D Take care and lots of love to you all!**

**-Shade**

***UPDATE***

**Damn guys I fucked that one up royally. I was recently reading RyotaEdges story and totally stole one of his characters without even noticing it ;-; I want to apologize to all of you and to him if he's reading this. I've changed her name, so all should be good now :) Again, I'm terribly sorry and I'll definitely do my research on names from now on haha. Props to OrenjiSpash for pointing this out (I owe you one!)**

**-Shade**

_Fuck...another year of school. _I grunted as I stood up and stretched. After ten years here I still hated everything about this forest. After being stranded alone in a Red Rescue Team camp for a few months, I was sent to this forest so I could go to school and start a life here. It was a pretty awful decision in hindsight.

_School wouldn't be so awful if they just didn't mess with me. Can't those think-skulled idiots just leave me the hell alone? You'd think they had something better to do... _I thought to myself as I grabbed an Oran berry and ate it in a couple of bites. I picked up a Chesto berry while I was at it, not wanting to fall asleep on my first day of school.

When I first arrived here at seven years old everyone was shocked. I was a mystery until a letter came a few days later, explaining my situation and who I was. I was found by a Red Rescue Team as an infant after a freak earthquake had almost decimated an entire forest. One of the rescuers had taken me in for a couple of years, but after his sudden death I was an orphan. The team couldn't care for me anymore so they sent me here.

They picked the wrong forest to send me to. No one had seen an Umbreon for centuries, and the last one was supposedly a serial killer that nearly wiped the town of all it's inhabitants. So from the very second I set foot in the orphanage, I was discriminated. No one would talk to me, the adults ignored me, and all the kids that were my age bullied me. I tried desperately to make friends, talking to everyone I got a chance to, but they all turned a blind eye towards me. In their view I was just another demon that was going to ruin their town one day.

When I got to start school I was relieved, hoping that it would be a safe haven away from the hell I experienced at 'home' I was so excited my first day of school, hoping I would finally make a friend. Before we got started with our lessons, the whole class had to take a pre-test to see how much we all knew. It was about a hundred questions and covered a ton of material, from math to type statistics, even nature and IV ratings. I blew through it easily, finishing a good two hours before anyone else.

They all laughed at me when they saw me turning it in, thinking that I was a complete idiot that just marked them all randomly. I tried to tell them that I actually knew the material, but no one believed me. When we got our test scores back, I had gotten a 100, and everyone else had scored lower than a 20. I should have just marked them all wrong.

Flashback

_"Xen, how did you cheat on that test?!" the other kids asked me after the day was over._

_"I didn't! I got my grade without cheating I swear!" I exclaimed._

_Their faces contorted in anger. "Well thanks a lot, you freak! Now the teacher thinks that we're all idiots! Are you trying to make us look bad, Umbreon?"_

_"Look I'm sorry guys, but I didn't think I would get them ALL right! Can I just go now?" I pleaded._

_"You're not going anywhere!" they roared, then dog piled onto me. I didn't even have time to protest before they started punching me._

_"No, STOP! PLEASE!" I cried. They didn't listen. By the time they were done with me I had a collapsed lung, broken ribs, and a crushed soul. After that I never talked again, keeping to myself as much as I could._

End Flashback

Ever since first grade I still haven't uttered a word. I started getting beaten up daily because I tried my hardest on the tests, earning 100s nearly every single time. After a while the punches stopped hurting though. The names grew old. And my heart grew darker. No one wanted to be my friend, no one wanted to talk to me, so I just lived in solitude. As soon as I turned fourteen I moved out of the orphanage and into an abandoned cave about ten miles away from the town. When high school started, the whole charade just repeated itself. The mindless idiots knew I was rare, so that somehow translated into 'let's beat him up!' Thanks to that befuddled logic my life in hell continued, and it was just going to start again this year.

_Stupid fucking idiots..._

Over the summer I had bulked up a ton but it was hardly noticeable. Umbreon are naturally skinny and although I had gained over 30 levels I was still scrawny like a Rattata.

_But now I'm aa level 67._ I thought proudly. My level was very high for any adult, and I was still only 17.

Accepting my fate, I sucked it up and walked outside. As per usual, my door was littered with death notes and other racial slurs, an everyday occurrence for me. I peeled them all off carefully, then threw them away promptly and began my walk to school.

As I approached the campus, I felt the eyes of every student there burn into me as I padded up. They laughed at me, threw food at me, and even lashed out at me. Rather than dodge them, I just accepted all of the 'punishments' and kept walking. By the time I had reached the main office, I was covered in food, and was bruised and bleeding. The small Floette behind the desk looked at me sadly, then put my schedule down in front of me. I reached for it, but she grabbed my paw and looked into my eyes. I flinched as she touched me, and had to resist recoiling.

"Are you ok, Xen? You can always tell us who did it, and we'll fix it!" she said, hoping for a reply out of me. I stared back emotionlessly, then waited for her to let go of my paw. She sighed, then gently put my paw back down.

"Xen...you can talk to me. I'm your friend." she said sorrily, but I only grabbed my schedule and walked out.

_Physics...Type Training...Leveling Up...Battle Arena...WAIT WHAT? _I thought. I specifically requested no gym this year, so what the hell was this? I stalked back to the office and slapped it down, pointing at it angrily.

"Oh yes, all juniors must take at least one year of Physical Education, Xen. It's the school's rules. Maybe it won't be so bad-" she stopped as I glared at her. "-Ok it will be bad." she sighed. I looked at it again in disgust, then walked out of the room.

_Fuck this. I guess I'll just have to take more beatings now... I'm so done with this._ I thought angrily. As I walked, a large breeze rippled by, lifting some of my leg fur up, exposing a long cut that went down my paw. I quickly covered it and entered my first class: Physics.

I entered the classroom silently, slinking to an empty seat in the back of the room. The second I sat down, everyone around me got up and moved to the front. I didn't mind I had learned that I was quite happy to be left to my own devices. The bell rang loudly, but the teacher still wasn't here yet. As I was waiting silently with my head low, Jireo walked in with his group of cronies following at his heels. Jireo, or Jerry, was a Machoke, and said to be the best high school battler around. Unfortunately for me, he was also a massive douche that enjoys picking on anyone he could see.

And I seemed to catch his eye.

"Yo! Look everyone, the _freak _is still here! I'm surprised he hasn't killed himself yet, because it sure would make out lives easier! Hey, FREAK! When I talk to you, you look at me, got it?!" he roared, making everyone jump except me. I just kept my head down.

"What the hell? Are you still not talking?" he hissed angrily, and walked over to my desk. With malice in his eyes, he grabbed my head and shifted it towards him forcefully.

"That's better. Now, apologize to me." he smirked. I stared blankly at him, like I did with every other person, and didn't do anything. He growled at me and began to choke me a bit, but I still didn't react.

"You're making me look like an idiot, so you better talk, you piece of trash." he whispered, seeming quite upset. I never broke my stare, and stayed perfectly still.

"TALK, DAMN IT!" he bellowed, and slammed his fist into my side. I winced slightly, but didn't say anything.

"Fine. You know you're at a type disadvantage, right? I'm going to make you suffer!" he grunted, and charged up a Mach Punch. I knew that I would be hurt by that, but I wasn't budging. He grinned, then slammed it into my chest, sending me flying into the back wall of the classroom which in turn shattered test tubes and actually cracked the wall.

_Fuck him. That didn't even hurt that bad, 'best battler' my ass._ I thought. I stayed on the ground and feigned defeat, but Jerry wasn't having that.

"Now APOLOGIZE to me!" he hissed again, but I didn't say a word. He used Seismic Toss to throw me across the room again, and I slammed into the blackboard just as the teacher, an Alakazam, walked in. He looked at me first, bleeding and sitting crumpled on the floor, and then at Jerry, who had a look of horror on his face.

"Jerry. Principals office, NOW." the professor commanded. Jerry looked at him and smirked, waltzing jauntily towards the front of the room.

"Why? You can't prove I did anything to that freak!" he insisted, and shot a dirty look at me.

"You're that Umbreon, aren't you? Tell me, did Jerry do this?" he asked, and the class burst out in laughter.

"What's so funny?" he said hotly.

"Sir, that's Xen. He's a mute. Every student here knows that freak." some random student said. Everyone agreed with him, nodding and chuckling.

"Nonsense. Xen, you aren't actually a mute, are you?" he asked incredulously. I just stared at him blankly, and he matched my stare. Finally giving up, he sighed impatiently.

"Well, I suppose if no one can prove it, then there's nothing I can do-hmm?" the professor said as a student interrupted him.

"Hello, sir. My name is Vui, and I can confirm that Jerry just beat Xen up. I can also note that Xen didn't do anything to start a fight or fight back at all." a small voice said from behind a Crawdaunt.

"What? Who the hell are you?!" Jerry yelled.

"I'm an Espeon." the girl stated, and stood up. Her forked tail curled out gently from under her as she stood up, and her red forehead gem seemed to shimmer and sparkle. Everything about her just radiated beauty and finesse, and it took a couple seconds for me to tear my eyes away from her.

"And how can you prove it?" the professor asked, smiling slightly.

"As an Espeon I can see into the future. I saw you were coming in soon, but that you wouldn't be able to get here in time, so I used Psychic to start the video recorder right there." she said loudly, pointing towards a small black orb in the front of the room. "The Klink that is usually there must've taken a nap, because it was broken before."

"Heh. HYAA!" Jerry roared as he jumped towards the camera and smashed it to a thousand small pieces. He stopped as he realized what just happened, which made everyone burst out in laughter.

"Well that's plenty of proof, thank you, Vui." the professor quipped, and grabbed Jerry using a powerful Psychic type move.

"Oh sir? That was a broken camera anyways. The working one is right there if you want even more proof." she said naughtily, jutting her forked tail towards another camera in the middle of the room, and a red blinking light confirmed it was on.

"OOOOOOOOH!" the class jeered, giving her high fives and pats on the back, with Jerry looking dumbstruck. The professor nodded and used another Psychic to take the film out. He looked at me and jerked his head.

"Come on, we're going to the office. Do you need to see the nurse?" he asked.

I shook my head 'no' and he nodded.

"All right then. Class, turn to um...page...ah fuck it. Have fun, just don't break my room!" he hollered, causing all the students to cheer.

"SO. What seems to be the trouble here?" the principal asked. His name was Mr. Biggs, and he was a large male Throh known for being very kind and against bullying.

"Psh. Ask the freak..." Jerry muttered under his breath.

"I heard that, Jerry. And you need to be more considerate. Xen is a mute because of what people like you do to him! With all this constant bullying he's lost all will to try to communicate." Biggs said angrily.

I stared at Biggs and sighed. Biggs cocked his eyebrow in curiosity.

"Son, why don't you talk?" Biggs asked. I looked at him blankly and didn't move a muscle.

"See? _Total_ freak! I'm only giving him what he deserves." Jerry growled, and Biggs slammed his rocky hand onto the desk.

"That's IT! You're off the Battle Team, Jerry! I'm sick of your horrible attitude and total lack of empathy! You do realize that we have evidence of you pummeling this kid right here with no cause whatsoever, correct? You're lucky I don't expel you on the spot." Biggs bellowed, causing the Professor to jump slightly.

"WHAT?! HELL NO! THAT'S MY TEAM!" Jerry roared and stood up angrily.

"YOU! YOU CAUSED THIS!" he yelled, grabbing onto me and lifting me up into the air. An angry look stretched across his face, and then he chucked me out of the office window, causing me to skid through the hallway with glass fragments showering around me. I stood up calmly and walked back into the room. Biggs had pinned the teenage Machoke on the spot and was being assisted by the Professor, who was holding his hands down using Psychic.

"THAT'S IT! JERRY, YOU'RE EXPELLED! GET THE HELL OFF OF MY CAMPUS!" Biggs yelled, and handed Jerry over to the school security guards, an Arbok and Wheezing.

"Xen! Are you...alright?" they asked in unison, and I stared at them again, signaling that I was fine.

"Come back to my office, we need to have a chat." Biggs said softly.

"Sorry, I never introduced myself. I'm Professor Alaka Kazam. Just call me Prof. Al! It's a pleasure to meet you." he said warmly, holding out a hand. I stared at it, then nodded. His eyes widened in curiosity, but he said nothing.

"Xen, this is serious. Name calling is one thing, but repeated assaults on you are unacceptable. Now we watched the tape, and AH! Xen...? There's glass in your back!" Biggs exclaimed. I looked at it calmly, sighing as I realized that it was quite large

_Hmm. Fuck. This may hurt a bit..._

I stared at it once more, then reached behind me and yanked it out forcefully. I winced slightly and laid it on the desk, then gave my fur a few hearty licks before looking at him again.

"That's a 6 inch piece of glass Xen. You need to see the nurse." Prof. Al said shakily, but I shook my head, willing Biggs to go on.

"O-Ok...As I was saying, we saw the tape, and it was obviously bullying. But why didn't you fight back? Self-defense would have been acceptable there." Biggs insisted, and I grabbed a pen and a piece of paper to reply. After a few seconds of scribbling, I handed it to him, and his eyes narrowed.

"It's easier for everyone this way? What does that mean?" Briggs demanded. I wrote a bit more, and his eyes turned from angry to sad instantly.

" 'Everyone already hates all Umbreon, so why even try? It seems to take the bullying away from others as well, since I'm a popular scapegoat. The beatings hurt, but bearable, because I know they can't break me.' Son, is that really how you feel?" Briggs asked softly. I nodded.

"One last question. Please answer it or at least write it down. Why don't you talk?" Briggs asked nicely.

_Should I answer him? Or do I stay silent? The answer's obvious._

I looked at him and said nothing, instead I wrote, 'Why should I?'

Briggs sighed, then beckoned Prof. Al to listen. The two whispered for a few seconds, then backed away.

"Xen, we have a proposal for you. We want you to see the school counselor and maybe work out some of these feelings. We need someone who saw all the events unfold as well, who won't lie, so I'm going to send Vui with you. She's a new student here so be nice. Understand?" Prof. Al said cooly and I nodded again. Briggs dismissed me, so I walked across the school towards the counselor's office.

"Hey! Xen, wait up!" a girly voice called from behind me. I stopped and looked behind me and saw Vui jogging to catch up with me.

"How are you doing?" she asked. I looked at her blankly, the turned back around and kept walking.

"Are your cuts ok?" she asked again, grabbing my leg and rubbing her paw along it, exposing my long, red scar. I jumped back and glared at her angrily. Who did this girl think she was, getting all close to me?

"What was _that?" _she asked in awe. I stopped again, then walked very close to her. I unsheathed a claw and lightly pressed the tip onto her throat, making her gasp. Then I poked her mouth with the tip, and shook my head 'no'

"S-should I stop talking?" she squeaked, earning a nod from me. We walked in silence for a few minutes until she bugged me again.

"So you're an Umbreon...that's pretty neat.." she said slowly. It was about then that I decided to completely ignore her. She jabbered on for what seemed like hours, making the short trip nearly unbearable. We finally reached the guidance office, and I held the door open for her. She looked at me uneasily, but I nodded, urging her to go in. We were greeted by a heavyset lady sitting behind a counter, who glanced at me for our names. I looked back stolidly and the room was silent for a moment.

"Um...Xen and Vui here for guidance, ma'am?" Vui said. She looked at me curiously but I was still silent.

"Room two. What's wrong with him?" the lady asked, slightly perturbed I wasn't showing her respect.

"He's mute, ma'am." Vui said quietly. The lady looked at me and then gave me a sympathetic smile. Vui grabbed my paw to drag me towards the door, and I yanked my paw away from her instantly. I sighed in frustration, then pointed at her paw, then my paw, and shook my head 'no'.

"I can't touch you?" she asked in surprise. I shook my head no again then held the door open for her and walked into the room.

_Holy shit. What the hell is wrong with this place?! _I thought as I scanned the room. There were tacky support posters and piles of bean bags, even a punching bag in the corner. As we walked up to the desk, a chair swiveled around and we met a smart-looking Glameow.

"Well hello! I've heard about you from Mr. Biggs, so I know the basic outline of what's happened today and for the past years. You're quite the mystery aren't you, Xen?" the lady exclaimed. "Oh dear me, I'm so excited I forgot to tell you my name! My name is Ms. Paj! And who is your friend, Xen?"

I looked at her blankly, then went to grab a pen and notepad from her desk. Her paw held mine in place when I touched the objects and she gave me a smile. I froze instantly, and resisted yanking my paw away at full force.

"Can you try to tell me in words?" she purred. I shook my head and grabbed the materials, the scribbled some words down and handed it to her.

" 'She isn't my friend, she's just here as an eyewitness. It was Biggs' choice. I don't talk, so please don't try to get me to.' " she recited

"Ouch, you were quite frank about her weren't you?" Ms. Paj chuckled. I shrugged in response.

"Xen, I know you're mute, but that's why you're here. I want to talk to you and solve some issues." she cooed, but I shook my head again, signaling that was NOT what was going down.

"Come on, Xen! Give it a chance, and who knows, you may like it!" Vui coaxed, placing her paw on my back. I flinched and jumped away from her, baring my teeth and glaring at her with malice in my eyes.

"I-I'm sorry, I forgot." Vui said softly. I sat down again, but away from the two females now.

"Ok, we can start there. Xen, why did you jump away?" Ms. Paj asked softly.

I scribbled a few sentences on a whiteboard next to me using a marker.

"Hold on. You don't like being touched? Why is that?" she continued.

I wrote a bit more, and her eyes widened.

"You've been beaten up so many times that you don't see a need for it? Xen, that's awful! Who has been hurting you?" Ms. Paj said. Vui's eyes widened as she saw my next words.

"E-Everyone? Come on, that has to be wrong! How many people really hate Umbreon?" Vui asked incredulously. Ms. Paj answered this one.

"Vui, you're new here, so you can't possibly know. Umbreon are the most despised creatures in this area. It's because others see them as serial killers and monsters and since they're so rare everyone dumps on them, blaming all the bad things and taking their anger out on them." she said soothingly. Vui looked at her in horror.

"That's just awful! How many Umbreon are there here?" she asked me, and I nodded towards Ms. Paj. She understood and cleared her throat.

"Well...there's one. And he's right there." she said, pointing in my direction. Vui's jaw hit the floor and she stared at me. I waved my paw in front of her face, snapping her out of your trance.

"So you get all the beatings? Is that why you have those scars?" she asked, and Ms. Paj's ears perked up.

"Scars? That's unusual, with the Umbreon's healing ability. Umbreon can heal most of their injuries, so why would you have scars?" the teacher asked suspiciously. I sighed, then shrugged at the two of them.

"Hmm. Ok then, I won't nitpick. Now let's talk about Jerry and what he did. I've watched the tape, and you showed very good patience with him. Unfortunately, you showed a bit too much, which enraged him. Can you tell us in your own words what happened, Xen?" Ms. Paj asked hopefully. I rolled my eyes and walked to the blackboard, writing out what happened.

"Uh-huh. So, why didn't you fight back?" Ms. Paj asked after I had finished. I wrote some more.

"Well that's interesting. Why do you feel they would do kill you?"

"Ma'am? I think I can help. What Xen is trying to say is since he's an Umbreon and hated already, if he hits another Pokémon back, they'll be completely merciless and take his life." Vui offered, and Ms. Paj smiled.

"Good analysis, Vui. Now Xen, how can we solve this?" she asked, and I nearly chuckled in response. Instead, I pointed at myself and shook my head 'no' then pointed at Vui and nodded 'yes'

"So there's nothing we can do to help? You'll just be alienated for the rest of your life?" Vui asked softly. I nodded, then wrote.

" 'I'm a solitary person. Being alone doesn't really bother me at all.' Well, if you want that, then I guess we can't do anything else. Just clear one thing up for me Xen. What does 'they won't break me' mean?" Ms. Paj asked, referring to my conversation with Biggs.

I scribbled on the blackboard, then walked out of the room. I didn't wait for Vui.

Vui's POV

"...'Exactly how it sounds'? Ms. Paj, what is up with him?!" I squeaked after he left the room. Paj sighed and massaged the bridge of her nose with a furry paw.

"Vui...everyone here knows Xen, and it's awful. He's incredibly smart, the smartest student here by far, and possibly even the smartest one in this whole region. His IQ is 230 as close as we can measure it. But he's very emotionally depressed. We have a term for his condition in the medical world called 'traumatic mutism.' and it's scary. He was beat into submission so many times as a young pup that he's lost all the will to speak, even interact with others at the school. He is living in hell, and that's why he's so harsh on you." Paj said softly, then continued.

"He hasn't had one friend his entire life here, so he doesn't understand that you're just trying to be nice. Don't push him, but if you try to be his friend, I think it would mean the world to him." she finished, then waited for my response.

"Ms. Paj, I don't like bullying. I despise it, and that's why I told the truth to the teacher. But why, WHY didn't he fight back? No one would think that badly if he did, would they?" I whispered, and Paj's glare hardened.

"Xen has to remove all emotion from his life, hoping that everyone else here just sees him as a freak. He's silent because anything he says will be twisted around and used to hurt him and all Umbreon more. If he fought back...he would most likely be killed by a mob or anti-Umbreon groups, if not by the person he retaliated on first. When other Pokémon see him beat up and bullied they also see it as a sign of Umbreon being put into submission, and they relax, thinking that they've won. It isn't much of a battle if one side doesn't fight though, is it?" she remarked, then gave me a very serious glare.

"Vui, you did the right thing by turning Jerry in. However, no one else will think that you did and they may even single you out now. If this happens, tell me immediately, clear?" she said in a scarily low tone. I nodded, then went to walk out of the door.

"Ah. Wait one second. Tell me about these 'scars' on Xen's legs, hmm? Umbreon heal quite quickly, and I've never seen one have such a strange mark." she coaxed. I thought for a second.

_Normally I would tell her everything, but Xen did seem awfully touchy about the scars, and it is my fault she knows about them... maybe I should respect his decision to stay silent about them._

"I honestly don't know, Ms. Paj. He won't tell me anything." I lied.

"Mhm. Ok, off to class. Be safe!" she called, and I scurried out of the room, running towards my next class, which was something called 'Battle Arena'

Xen's POV

_Great. Now I have some nosey counselor breathing down my neck, a nosey girl following me, and every single student in the school to look out for. Thats a fucking great way to start the year!_

"OK CLASS!" a large Conkeldurr barked, slamming his stone pillars on the floor.

"I'M COACH BRUNO, AND WE'RE GONNA BATTLE TODAY! EVERYONE CHOOSE A PARTNER!" he roared again, making the class jump.

"Heh. I call Xen." a deep voice said from behind the coach. Coach Bruno stepped aside, revealing a muscular Hitmonchan.

"OK! THIS IS ORAQ! XEN, ARE YOU READY?" the coach screamed at me, and I shrugged.

"HUH?! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, KID? YOU REPLY WHEN I TALK TO YOU!" he screamed again, and I stared at him blankly.

"Sir! Please don't be offended, he's mute!" Vui's voice rang throughout the gym, and the coach glared at me.

"FINE! BATTLE BEGIN!" he roared, smacking the gym floor.

I looked at Oraq, trying to figure out what his game was.

_Ok, two skips, one punch. He's a boxer, so he'll be going for my chest, face, and legs. Which one is it? One, two, punch. There! His wrist curved upwards at an angle of 43 degrees, meaning he plans on an uppercut. Legs aren't his target. Eyes, what about his eyes? One, two, punch. Ok! He's looking at an angle relative to my neck. It can't be over 104 degrees, but it can't be under 87. So that would mean...face punch. _I looked up and only four seconds had passed.

"Heh. Ready for this?" he whispered, then zipped towards me. I could have easily dodged but instead I stood completely still. He looked at me and grinned proudly, then hit me with an uppercut square on my jaw. I flew back and slammed into the wall twenty feet away, causing it to crack. I slumped down and pretended to pass out, smiling slyly to myself as I took inventory of my HP.

"OUCH! XEN IS OUT! POINT TO ORAQ!" Coach yelled, and the whole gym exploded in cheers. Cheering for Oraq and for knocking out the freak. Little did they know I was perfectly fine, but no one even seemed to care about the crumbled Umbreon in the corner of the gym, who got up a few moments later and walked towards his next class without even a limp.

_Finally, a class I can do. Type Training is super easy since I've already mastered them all. Now I just have to avoid getting beat up again, and I should be in good shape._

I went towards the back of the room again, where there wasn't anyone else sitting, and sat down sullenly.

"Oh! Hey Xen!" Vui called and sat down next to me. I looked at her in absolute disbelief, then pointed at her schedule. She smiled and handed it to me and I compared the two.

_You have got to be fucking kidding me. Six out of seven classes are with her?! Well, I guess I am killing myself tonight._

I handed them back to her and held up six fingers, then closed my eyes as she started telling me about everything that had happened to her so far.

_Why do girls have to be so goddamn dramatic? Oh well, only four more classes to go-_

"Score!" a group of Pokémon yelled from the other end of the room. They had thrown a rotten berry at my face which had in turn exploded all over my dark fur and yellow rings. I wiped it off of my body and dropped it into a garbage can nearby, then sat back down and laid my head on the desk.

"Hey! Stop it right now!" Vui yelled back, making the group stop their snickering.

"Oh really? What's a useless bitch like you gonna do about it? Awww, do you have a crush on the freak?" a Floatzel cajoled from the people.

"Look, just cut it out, alright? We haven't done anything to you." she sighed, and slumped down in her desk.

"I believe I can do what I want. Besides, this loser isn't going to do shit! Watch and learn." he said back, and smacked the back of my head quite hard. I looked at Vui with an expression that said 'Thanks a lot' and sighed. The Floatzel punched me right in the face this time, sending a loud 'crack' throughout the room. Everyone turned and looked at us with smiles on their faces, then froze.

"W-WHAT THE HELL?!" the Floatzel yelled in pain, clutching his wrist. He fell backwards and cried out in pain again.

"Well, I think that should teach you right, young man." a feminine voice said from the front of the classroom.

"If you had had any sense whatsoever, you would have known that Umbreon have a steel-like skull that is incredibly hard. You just punched it full force and broke your own wrist, which is actually quite amusing. Head to the nurse's office, then report to detention every day after school for two weeks, unless you would rather be suspended." the Pokémon, who I assumed was the teacher, said. The Floatzel looked shocked, but scurried out of the room while clutching his wrist.

"Now then, are you all right?" she asked me. All eyes were on me, and I stared back at her blankly. She nodded and started calling roll.

She got to my name last, since I was at the X's, and when she heard no reply, she asked if anyone had seen 'Xen' Vui raised her paw and pointed at me.

"Well speak up! Why aren't you talking?" she asked suspiciously. I stared back at her again, and everyone laughed.

"That's Xen. He's a mute and a freak. I bet his mom wishes she had swallowed!" some random kid said loudly, and everyone busted out in laughter.

"HAH! He's alone dude, this fucker doesn't have anyone!" someone else called.

"Oh wait, that's right, he doesn't have any parents!" another voice said, and the class was on the floor howling in laughter. For the first time since I had become mute, I actually felt pure rage. I dug my claws into the desk and slowly dragged my paw down, leaving long, jagged marks along the wood. I breathed out calmly, then got up and walked out of the classroom.

"Xen? Xen?" the teacher called after me. I kept walking all the way to the main office, signed out for the day, and left.


	2. Chapter 2: Revolt

**Disclaimer: I should buy Pokémon soon so I don't have to put this...**

**Hello everybody! I'm going to stay true to my words and upload a new chapter of this every Sunday at all costs ;). I had a huge scare recently with computer issues (My 2005 Mac died for no reason, almost taking all of my stories with it) but they're all fixed now thanks to Apple being amazing and extracting all of my files :3 All my stories are back now and I've been blessed with a new Macbook Air (praise Arceus) so writing will be easier at every time :D**

**I'm also working on a third story to release soon (it'll be a horror/humor Pokémon story) but these things are getting hard to push out, especially since these new chapters are bordering 8k words ;-; You guys BETTER love me XD **

**Enough drama, let's dive into this chapter and all of its wonderful plot twists ;) Take care!**

**-Shade**

**(P.S. Huge thanks to VoreMistress for the 'Vui's POV' in the start of the chapter before 'After school ends'! She thought of the idea and I tweaked it a tiny bit, and I think it;s a great transition! Great job, and I hope you enjoy the romance in this chapter! *wink wink*)**

* * *

Vui's POV

"Xen? Xen?" the teacher called as he walked out of the room. I glanced over to his desk and gasped in horror. There were enormous gashes running down the wood, each one nearly a foot long.

"Um...miss? I think he may be a bit upset..." I said feebly and pointed towards his desk. Her eyebrow went up curiously and she made her way to his desk.

"For the love of Arceus! That's it! Everyone who just dumped on Xen gets detention after school! I swear, you kids are so horrid to that boy it's sickening!" she yelled, snapping everyone back into reality.

"Yo! It's not out fault that he's a loser and a freak! Oh wait, it is!" someone said, earning another round of howling laughter from the students.

The teacher looked at me sadly. "I tried my best. I'm really sorry but I can't punish them anymore. Be careful after school today, you hear me? Some of these guys may not see your act of valiance so valiant." she whispered. I stiffened up.

_What are they going to do to me?_

**(After school ends)**

_Finally that day is over! Seriously though, Xen just left class and I haven't seen him since. I wonder if he's-_

"Hey! Get back here!" a familiar voice yelled. I turned around to see the Floatzel from earlier and his group emerge from the school doors. He had a large cast on his wrist, and he looked quite angry.

"We can't find that freak, so we're just going to beat you up instead!" he roared. His group slowly fanned out, forming a circle around us.

"Whoa man, I have no fight with you. Let's just all calm down, and- AH!" I cried as he slammed his leg into my stomach, knocking me down. He reached down and grabbed me by my scruff forcefully, using his casted hand. He reared back with his other fist, preparing for a huge Sucker Punch. I quivered slightly in his powerful grip and he sent his fist flying through the air towards my face.

_Thump._

I opened my eyes in curiosity, wondering why I didn't feel the blow. I only saw black in front of my eyes.

"AAAGGGGHHH!" the Floatzel cried, and the blackness in front of me faded away.

It was Xen.

"FUCK! My other wrist is..." he stopped and clenched his eyes in pain.

"YOU! I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU!" he screamed in Xen's face, but Xen just stared at him blankly.

Xen looked him, then at me, and moved very close to the Floatzel. He stared at him devilishly, then opened his mouth.

_Is he going to speak?!_

Xen snapped his jaw shut with a sharp '_clack'_, mere inches away from the Floatzel's nose, then glared at him one last time. He jerked his head to the right, signaling that it was time to go.

"O-Ok..." I said painfully, and wheezed as I took a step. He watched me impatiently, then yanked me up onto his back and carried me back to the school with no one saying a word.

Xen stared blankly at the nurse, who was a Chansey, then pointed to my stomach. The nurses eyes widened and she groaned angrily.

"What is it with you kids nowadays and all these teenage pregnancies?! I swear, I'm going to-" she was cut off by my squeal of horror.

"NO! I'M NOT- HE ISN'T- WE AREN'T- I JUST HAVE AN INJURY!" I spluttered, making her blush a deep red.

"Oops. Sorry honey, I can never tell these days, you two do make a great couple though!" she said naughtily, and I blushed as red as a Slugma. I peeked at Xen, who still held his completely blank look.

The nurse sat me down and began to poke around my stomach, and frowned as she felt the area where I was hurt.

"That's a pretty nasty impact wound! You didn't do this to her, did you?" the Chansey asked Xen, who shook his head.

"I didn't think so. Ok, you'll need a quick remedy, so stay still!" the nurse said sweetly. She pulled her egg out of the pouch on her stomach and tossed it on the ground, shattering it into thousands of small pieces. I instantly felt my strength return as the 'Soft-Boiled' move took effect.

"That's that! I hope I won't have to see you two in here again!" she said, winking at Xen. He rolled his eyes and beckoned for me to come. Before we left the room, he dipped his head respectfully towards the pink Pokémon and hustled me out of the door. As we walked off of school grounds, he never left my side, glaring at anyone who came close.

Xen's POV

_I am so fucking pissed now. First they target me, which is fine. But if they hurt someone else just because they've been talking to me, that's too far! I need to let her know that I'm not worth the trouble somehow..._

I stopped suddenly, and put a paw to my ear, indicating that she needed to listen. She stopped and looked at me curiously.

"What is it Xen?"

I poked my paw onto her chest, then poked my chest, and shook my head. She still looked confused, so I repeated the action, then lightly grazed her cheek with my paw, simulating a punch.

"Wait. Are you saying that we shouldn't see each other or else I'll be hurt again?" she asked innocently. I nodded in response, then made a slitting motion across my throat with a claw.

"I could be _killed?" _she squeaked in disbelief. I looked down and nodded again, then began to walk again.

"Xen, stop this." she said in a watery tone. I turned back around and tears were welling up in her eyes.

"You don't deserve this, no one deserves ANY of this! If I want to be around you, then I am going to be around you, no matter what anyone else says!" she said softly, then laid her paw on my shoulder. I flinched and began to quiver lightly, but before I could pull away, Vui stepped towards me and pressed her maw against mine.

I froze. I didn't know what to do, so I pulled away quickly, and looked her dead in the eyes, losing my cool completely. I pulled her in towards me this time, and our lips locked. She whined happily, and we broke away for air. Her eyes shimmered brightly, and for the first time in over 11 years, I smiled.

"So...what do we do now?" she asked happily. I opened my mouth to talk, but recoiled shyly when I realized that I hadn't in so long. She smiled at me and pecked me on the lips again.

"Don't worry Xen. If you're not ready to talk yet, I won't make you. That's a promise." she said lovingly, and nuzzled up against my neck. I fidgeted again, but took a deep breath and stopped. She looked up at me proudly.

"So does this mean I can touch you now?" she asked sweetly. I stiffened slightly, then sucked in a deep breath and nodded. Her eyes glowed warmly, and she gave me a long, tender hug. I hugged back.

"Ah damn. I have to head home soon...this sucks." she whined. I sighed as well, then motioned for her to lead the way. We walked in silence for most of the way, and then we finally reached her house.

_Holy fuck that's big! Her house almost looks as big as the school!_

I nudged her with my head and pointed at the house in disbelief. She nodded shyly and chuckled.

"Yeah, that's my place...my dad was a big-time Pokémon battler and he was one of the best Kanto has ever seen apparently. He retired recently and we decided to move here, away from all of the Pokémon trainers." she finished. She grabbed my paw and led me to the large door.

"Are you ready to meet them?" she asked happily, and I shook my head furiously, backing away from the door.

"What? Aw come on, I really want you to meet them! My parents are Eeveelutions as well, so you should get along just fine!" she insisted, and I cocked my head curiously.

"Oh, my dad is a Jolteon and my mom is a Glaceon. Do you want to- Oh, hey Mom and Dad!" she yelled as her parents opened the door. I used all of my speed and dashed away quickly, but watched from a tree.

"I'd like you to meet Xe- what? Xen?" she called, and I felt a pang of guilt. Her parents walked over to her and asked what she was doing, and she smiled again and said something I couldn't hear. Then they all walked back inside, and I was left alone.

_Fuck. That was stupid of me! But I can't move this fast... I don't even know what I would do. Sometime...sometime soon..._

I walked home quietly, smelling the intoxicating aroma of spring as it wafted through the air. I finally reached my place and my door had even more death threats on it. I sighed angrily and swept them all to the ground, not even bothering to pick them up. I unlocked the door and lit a small fire, letting the heat wash over me. After a couple hours of relaxing and grooming, I killed the fire and fell asleep alone on the cold, hard rock.

**(Next day)**

"Xen! Wait up!" Vui called as I was about to walk into the main entrance of the school. She winked at me happily and walked alongside me towards Physics class, and for once, I was happy in school.

_If only life could be like this everyday... I wish..._

We stepped into the classroom and made our way to the back where no one else was sitting. Instantly, Vui was surrounded by the group that I repelled yesterday, blocking my view of her.

_This could be bad..._

Vui's POV

"Hey whore. Why don't you ditch this loser and come have a 'chat' with us?" the Floatzel jeered, running his casts along the desk.

"What? Um no, I'm going to stay here with Xen, thank you very much. And I'm not a whore!" I replied angrily.

"Oh I seem to have hit a weak point! Does the _whore _not like being called a _whore?_ I don't even see why you bother with that fucking freak over there!" he growled.

"Because I want to! Now don't call me a whore anymore you lowlife!" I growled back. He responded by brutally slapping me on the side of my face with his cast, giving my cheek a vicious bruise.

"I will call you whatever I FUCKING want to, you SLUT! But you NEVER talk down to ME!" he roared furiously, and slapped me again.

"I call em as I see em!" I yelled, and his face twisted up in rage. He pulled back and lunged forward as hard as he could, and his fist collided directly with my jaw.

This time I saw stars and felt blood trickle out of my mouth, splattering onto the desk.

_Fuck, that hurt!_

Then I heard a voice. It was strong, loud, powerful, and it rang through my ears, giving me an unshakable chill.

"Stop."

Xen's POV

_Thwack_

_Wait, was that a slap? Did he just fucking touch her?!_ I thought angrily. I closed my eyes and tried to breathe slowly, but then another '_thwack_' came from inside the group.

_Fuck, don't lose it Xen. Just breathe, breathe- he just called her a whore again. Breathe...breathe... _I thought as I nearly ripped the desk into two. I heard another slap, and then a very quiet whimper that could only belong to Vui. There was a faint splattering sound soon after.

_Holy fucking shit. He made her bleed. Don't...I-I- I have to stop this. She doesn't deserve this._

I opened my maw slowly, and without even thinking said the first word that came to mind.

"Stop." I said, shaking slightly. My voice had changed a lot since elementary school. It was much deeper, but I was really shocked at how powerful and dark it sounded.

"Who said that?!" the Floatzel growled. Everyone shrugged, then watched as I stood up slowly.

"I said 'stop', you weak, inbred, worthless excuse of a Pokémon." I growled lowly, and stood up to my full height with fire in my eyes.

He whipped around and looked at me curiously. "Did the fucking mute over here just talk?"

"Yeah. I'm amazed! You finally learned how to use your fucking ears." I said sarcastically, and the whole class sniggered, then realized that I was still the freak and stopped.

"Also, about those ears, can I have them?" I asked darkly, allowing my yellow rings to glow a bit brighter.

"W-What? What do you mean?" he asked, backing up nervously. I chuckled lightly, then snapped my eyes towards him.

"I believe you just called her a disrespectful name and hurt her. So I think I'll have you apologize, then I'll slice off each of your ears. Sound fair?" I asked cooly, making the whole class stare with their mouths agape.

"Haha, nice try. You may no longer be mute, but you're still a wimp! Take this!" he yelled, his fist flying towards me. I lazily grabbed it, then gently squeezed.

The cast shattered.

"WHAT?!" everyone in the class yelled. They looked at the cast, then slowly towards me again, and I was smiling.

"Now, you see bud, I'm not weak at all. In fact, I'm quite strong, but I've kept that a secret. You are going to apologize to her or else I'm going to beat YOU into submission. Got it?" I said, smiling darkly. His eyes widened, and he stood up shakily.

"I'm sorry you bitch." he mumbled, and I grabbed his throat in response.

"I must have missed that. Why don't you say it again, and be sure what you're saying is what you _really _want to say..." I growled, unsheathing my long claws and dragging them over his neck. "...because you only have one more chance.." He gulped loudly and spoke again.

"I'm sorry for calling you a bitch and a whore Vui...and...I'M TRASH!...compared to you?" he yelped as I clenched down on his throat. I smiled.

"That was decent enough. Now, you're going to Biggs' office. Have fun!" I hissed, and threw him down the hallway, and he skidded all the way to Biggs' door before smashing through it.

I turned back around and glared at the room full of stunned Pokémon.

"Do you have something to say?" I asked quietly, and they all shook their heads dumbly.

"Then look away, and I would recommend you remember what you just saw. If you touch her or anyone else associated with me, I will _personally _come and thank you myself." I threatened, making them all flinch.

"Hey. Are you ok?" I asked softly, turning to Vui and stroking her cheek. She looked up at me, still slightly dazed, then fainted.

"FUCK!" I roared, slamming my paw into my desk, shattering it into a million bits. I gently picked her up and went to walk out of the room, but was met by Prof. Al.

"Xen? What in the world happened?" he asked, obviously shocked by the bloody Espeon in my arms.

"No time to talk, Prof. I have to get her to nurse Chansey as soon as possible." I said in a rushed tone and bolted out of the door. I saw his jaw drop out of my eyes but ignored him.

_Vui is all that matters right now..._

I ran as I could while still holding her when I reached the Chansey's office . I leaned in with my shoulder and slammed through the door, panting loudly as nurse Chansey rushed into the treating room.

"Xen? For the love of Arceus, what happened?!" she cried, lifting Vui out of my arms and laying her on the small bed there.

"That same Floatzel confronted her again and beat her up, and I couldn't protect her." I whined angrily. She stared at me with her mouth agape.

"YOU CAN TALK?" she asked. I nodded, then buried my face into my paws.

"Fuck. FUCK! Is she going to be alright?" I asked feverishly, and the nurse's eyes darkened.

"Hmm. She will make a full recovery, but she may seem a bit out of it for a while. She also has a large cut on the side of her face, which I'll have to bandage up. She'll be fine in a couple of hours." Chansey said, and I breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"Now, I need to know why you suddenly started talking. Your condition was very severe, and it could be of great use to the medical world to hear your answer."

"I haven't had a need to talk to anyone for the past 11 years. She was in trouble, and I lov-LIKE her, so I had my reason." I replied, blushing a bit.

"But how did you let your pain out the past 11 years?" she pushed, and I felt my chest contract.

"Please keep this a secret. Please, please, please. I...resorted to a lot of self-harm back in my freshman year. I cut myself every single day, and on one of my more...intense...sessions, I nearly severed my paw off." I said shakily, and gently pulled the fur around my paw back, revealing the long, red scar.

Nurse Chansey's eyes widened in surprise, then she placed a hand on my paw.

"I thought as much. I've been observing you the past few years, on request of the town council. Noticing your limp in freshman year was the clincher for me, but I promise that I'll keep this between us. No one will hear this from me. I promise." she said softly.

"I do think you should tell her though when she wakes up. Being honest is very important in a relationship." she winked, and I chuckled.

"I'd like to, but I don't know if she would accept me after that. It is really awful, and I don't want to lose her..." I stopped and tried to hold back my tears.

"If she truly loves you, which I think she does, she'll be fine with whoever you are. But your past is a bit scary, so go easy on her. Don't worry Xen! You'll do great!" she said joyfully, giving me a smile.

"Ugh..." Vui groaned from the bed, and I petted her head gently.

"Shh, shh... It's ok, Vui...they're all gone now and can't hurt you...I'm here" I said softly, and her eyes fluttered open.

"Xen? I must be really fucked up...I swear it's just like you're talking..." she said groggily, and I planted a kiss on her forehead.

"I am." I replied, watching as her eyes widened in excitement. She pulled me closer to her and nuzzled her head into my neck, whispering "I knew you could do it..." then dropped back down onto the bed again. My eyes widened in horror and I looked at Chansey frantically.

"She's heavily exhausted and she just needs to rest, so calm down Xen! Can you take her home after school ends today? She won't be able to walk for a bit after this, and I think you'll take good care of her." she said warmly. Just then the door opened, and Prof. Al walked in.

"Xen...your presence is requested in the principals office. Or, what's left of it, rather." he said nervously.

"Why? I need to stay by her side right now." I said, nodding towards Vui. Prof. Al sighed, then beckoned for me to follow.

"Sir, I know you're only doing your job but I'm not moving a fucking inch." I growled, moving myself in front of Vui protectively.

"Fine. I'll MAKE you come!" he hissed, then attempted to use Psychic on me. I stared at him, focusing my mind, then wiped the move away.

"Psychic doesn't work on me. I happen to know it as well so I can dissipate it as fast as you can make them. I'll say it again, I'm staying HERE." I said lowly.

"Xen...just come on. The principal just needs to clear up a few things. I'm sure the nurse can take care of her for a few minutes. We need you there." he said urgently.

"I'm needed HERE! She is all I have anymore and I don't want her to die lik-" I stopped, realizing I had gone too far.

"Like who?" he asked suspiciously.

"Never mind. I'll stay for five minutes, then I'm coming right back out here." I growled, and stalked out of the room. However, I did manage to give her one last kiss.

"What's so fucking important? I'm kind of busy right now." I yelled as I barged into Biggs' office.

"Whoa. So it's true...you're talking. Why?" he asked in awe.

"Cause I fucking felt like it. Tell me what you need now or I'm leaving." I said angrily. I didn't have time for his gawking.

"I'm going to ask you questions about what just happened, and you give me a brief rundown." he said professionally.

My eyes narrowed and I nodded, already bored.

"What happened?"

"This punk called Shine a whore then hit her three times. I obviously fucking flipped out and beat him. Bye." I said, standing up abruptly.

"Ah. Not yet." he said, and I slumped back down.

"That 'punk' was the son of Jared Flarate. In case you didn't know, he is highest ranking-"

"-industrial salesman in the forest. I know. I don't care! If that douche that he calls his son hits her or bullies her, I will beat him to a pulp every single time." I growled.

"But he funds the school! We could lose our programs if his son-" Biggs said angrily before I cut him off.

"Wait wait wait. So abuse is totally fine if the guy who does it is the son of a rich guy? Are you out of your FUCKING MIND?!" I roared.

"LISTEN! I hate bullying, but he's practically giving education to the youth here! I can't decline that!" he retorted.

"No, YOU listen to ME! All my life I've been treated like dirt. Literally. I've lost any hope of having a normal life but that's okay with me. That's my way of dealing with it. But the _second _she gets hurt, all bets are off. Got it? No one will ever be hurt because of me again-" I stopped, mentally beating myself up.

_Damnit! That's twice I've almost slipped up! I have to keep my cool and make sure not to mention...them._

"Again?" he asked suspiciously.

"Forget about it. Any more questions, or can I go?" I sighed, already exhausted of talking.

His eyes narrowed. "One more question, but it won't be recorded or told to anyone else."

I stared at him. "Shoot."

"What level ARE you? You took two super-effective hits from Jerry, then a punch to the skull, then destroyed that Floatzel and threw him into my office, all without even breaking a sweat!" he exclaimed, then looked at me earnestly.

I laughed loudly. "Sir, not to be disrespectful but if I told you that, then I would _literally_ have to _kill _you. Bye." I finished and walked out of the door, leaving the Throh looking at me, completely dumbfounded.

"Nurse Chansey? Is she awake yet?" I asked as I walked back into the clinic. The nurse looked over to me and smiled happily.

"Yes! She woke up just after you left, and I'm having her take two pills in the other room."

"Why two pills? I thought she only needed the one for the headache and some bandages." I replied, slightly confused.

A naughty look spread across her face, and she shrugged innocently.

"Oh you know how it is. I gave her a little *ahem* protection." she said slowly, but I didn't catch on.

'Protection? From what?" I asked dumbly.

"Um...y'know...so you two are _safe._" she said, looking a bit flustered.

"Safe from what? Is there an enemy!?" I asked quickly, and scanned the room quickly.

"Xen, you fucking idiot. I put her on birth control!" she whispered, chuckling slightly. I stared at her with my mouth agape, and couldn't seem to find any words. She smiled at me again, then went on.

"I know it's your choice, but I want you kids to be safe if you do. I see too many happy couples break up over an egg, and it's saddening to watch them split their separate ways after it's done. I think you two are a great match, and I'll be damned if you two break up for no reason." she said lowly.

"B-but we're not even dating..." I replied weakly, and the Chansey took a step backward. She facepalmed and chuckled slightly.

"What. Well, this is a bit strange then. I just assumed that when you kissed her, you two were- oh what the hell. You two still look amazing together, and you both deserve each other." she said awkwardly.

"XEN!" Vui squealed, hopping onto me and accidentally pushing me to the ground, which somehow ended up in my on top of her, pinning her paws down.

"I-I'm sorry!" I said quickly, and tried to get up. She smiled at me, then pulled me back down and pressed her muzzle against mine.

"Sorry for what, silly? This is the perfect way to thank you for protecting me. Thank you, Xen." she said softly, and pulled me into a tender embrace. I smiled, and nervously hugged her back.

"I just wish it wasn't so damn hard to breathe." she groaned, and I hopped up instantly.

"Oh no! Was I sitting on your chest or something?" I asked frantically, helping her up.

She looked at me with a puzzled expression. "No, I would have said something if you were."

"Then why were you out of breath?" I replied. She smirked and stepped towards me.

"Because you were on top of me." she whispered, her hot breath dancing across my ear.

I looked at her nervously, and she smiled back, nuzzling into my neck fur again.

"Thanks so much Nurse Chansey! For letting me rest and the pills!" she yipped happily, and the pink Pokémon merely nodded.

I looked at the nurse, then mouthed silently 'does she know?' The nurse looked back and shook her head softly, then spoke.

"Alright you two love-Pidgeys! **(AN: 'Lovebirds' for the humans among us) **Get out of my office!" she threatened playfully, and corralled us towards the door.

"Be sure not to over-stress yourself Vui, and I've already instructed Xen to take you home. Let's hope you two don't have to come here for a while, but feel free to drop by any time for a friendly visit!" she said happily, then slammed the door shut on us.

"Well. That was something else, wasn't it?" Vui asked. I nodded in agreement.

"Ow! Fucking hell, that hurts!" she said, tentatively touching her bandaged cheek.

"Don't touch it. It'll make it worse." I said softly, pulling her paw away gently. She smiled warmly at me, then motioned that we should go.

"I gotta say, I love walking with someone else. The long walk used to be pure hell, sine no other students live where I do...and now I have you!" she exclaimed, leaning against my shoulder. I smiled at her and kissed her forehead softly, enjoying the perfect weather and company.

"It's amazing actually. How in the world did you open up to so much contact this quickly?" she queried.

I looked at her, feeling slightly scared. I wasn't fully comfortable, but I decided to tell her the truth.

"I'm not over it yet to be honest. But there's something different about you touching me, something almost magical. I used to think all touching was harmful, since I've been...beaten up so much...but your touch is so warm and loving, I can't even compare the two." I said truthfully.

I felt her stop, which in turn stopped me as well. Still leaning against me, she looked up and I saw her eyes well up with tears.

"Do you really mean all of that? You're not just pulling some prank on me?" she asked with a watery expression.

I pulled her close to me. "Of course I'm telling the truth, I could never tell a lie to you." I replied warmly, and then she asked another question.

"So will you tell me what that scar on your paw is from?"

I froze instantly and began to tremble.

_No, no, no...she's going to think you're a dangerous freak! Don't tell her, don't tell her!_

"N-not yet. Please..." I whimpered, and pulled away from her. She grabbed my shoulders and pulled me back, staring deeply into my eyes.

"That's all you had to say. I won't force you to do anything Xen. Especially since you just made a huge leap and started talking again. When you're ready, just tell me, ok?" she said. I gave her a weak smile and we continued our trek throughout the forest.

"Ok, are you going to come in today?" she asked as we approached her house. I took a shaky breath and looked at her.

"Please! It would mean the world to me." she pleaded, and I nodded in response.

"Great! I know you'll love my parents!" she squealed as we walked into the clearing in front of her house for the second time.

"Huh, I wonder if they're home..." she wondered aloud.

As she was thinking, however, my senses spiked dramatically, and my adrenaline dropped like a stone. I quickly shielded Vui and myself with a Protect as a yellow figure appeared out of nowhere and tried to slam it's claws into me. Luckily they just sunk into the Protect and shattered it, giving me the perfect opportunity to use use a Shadow Ball and fling the attacker away.

"Oof..!" it grunted, then got back up easily. I looked back at Vui, who had surprisingly fainted from all of the action so quickly.

"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER!" he roared, then sped towards me again and slammed into me using a Volt Tackle. I held my ground though, standing in front of the motionless Espeon.

_Daughter? Wait, does that mean-_

I thought before the attacker hopped back up and used Double Kick on me, sending my HP moderately low.

_Holy SHIT! This guy must be super high-leveled, cause I've never been hit this hard!_

I cried out in pain, but shakily stood up again, protecting Vui.

"How the fuck are you still standing up you punk?" he exclaimed, and sent a massive Thunderbolt into my side, flinging me into a crumpled mess almost all the way across the clearing.

_For the love of Arceus! One more hit from him and I'm done for! Wait a sec, maybe if I try my new technique I can beat him? I have to raise my speed dramatically, but it should work. _

I staggered up again, holding onto my last few HP. He looked at me with venom in his eyes, then stepped towards me. I quickly jutted my head towards the sky, hoping that it was the right time of day. It was just beginning to turn to night which wasn't totally ideal, but it would work ok. I used Moonlight, sucking in the Moon's rays and gaining a ton of HP back. I smiled happily as it just barely clicked back into the green.

"Oh I see, so we're going all out? Fine! This should teach you not to hurt my girl!" he yelled, then sprinted towards me. I breathed out slowly, then used Calm Mind. I sped away as he reached me, then used Calm Mind again, repeating the process for a total of six Calm Minds.

"GAAAAH! THAT'S A CHEAP MOVE!" the Pokémon said, and threw a huge Thunder into me, which hardly damaged me at all thanks to my buffs. He looked at me in disbelief, and I closed my eyes in response, using a Psychic to illuminate the world behind my eyes.

I had discovered this ability this pst summer when a mugger had attacked me. I had jumped away, closing my eyes because he had kicked sand into them, and was strangely still able to see everything. I could even see his future moves, and then promptly fled, knowing he wouldn't be able to follow me.

"Are you mocking _me_ kid? Oh that's it, you're going down!" he roared, and crouched down to lunge at me.

_Volt Tackle, left flank. Spiral right to evade and use Shadow Ball to damage._

I spun right to evade the left flanked attack, then whipped around in midair and fired the Dark type move towards the shocked Pokémon, engulfing him in smoke.

"Whoa. That hasn't happened in a while." he murmured, then shot a Thunder Bolt at me.

_No evade possible. Intercept with Dark Pulse._

I preformed the Dark Pulse, which ripped the bolt of electricity to shreds. As the smoke cleared, his silhouette leapt through the smoke, using a Quick Attack to move at an absolutely insane speed.

_No evade or intercept possible. Options: Take the hit._

I braced myself, waiting for the devastating blow to hit me. When it did, it felt like a Wailord had fallen onto me from Mt. Cornet. I silently cried out in pain as I felt my HP again drop to almost zero, and I slammed into the ground next to Vui. I looked back at my enemy, who was padding towards me quite quickly, and I made a decision.

I stood in front of Vui and stared him down. He stared back at me and growled lowly, then spoke in an acidic tone.

"Get the _fuck _away from her."

I stared at him and slowly shook my head, and braced myself for his next blow.

_Well this blows. He won't believe me if I tell him who I am, or why Vui's all banged up. This is the only way to do it._

"Fine. Get ready kid, cause I'm not holding back anymore." he said, then launched himself towards me. As he was about to make contact, a purple object jumped in front of me, trying to shield me from the hit.

"Vui! NO!" I yelled, and shoved her out of the way just as the Pokémon's fist was about to slam into her. My gut sank when I saw the fist speeding towards me, and didn't even have time to brace myself.

His fist slammed into my chest with incomprehensible force. I blacked out instantly.

_Ow...fuck me. That really stung. Where the hell am I?_

I opened my eyes and was amazed by the decor that surrounded me. The ceilings were vaulted, the walls were styled to perfection, and the furniture was immaculate.

"XEN!" Vui cried and flung herself onto me.

"E-Vui?" I croaked, groaning as I tried to speak. My chest felt like it was on fire, and without even looking down I knew that they were heavily bandaged.

"Stay still, please. My dad...Arceus I hate him sometimes. After you blacked out I explained who you were, and he's really sorry! He's kind of hardwired for battling, and he protects me so much it's kind of scary..." she said as her voice trailed off.

"I-It's okay...I can understand why he would want to protect you. After all, you are the most beautiful Pokémon in the whole forest." I said warmly.

Vui's eyes narrowed. "Only the forest?" she said dangerously.

"The region?" I suggested, and her eyes darkened even more.

"The dimension?" I asked hopefully, and she shrugged.

"Eh, I guess I'll take that." she joked. I smiled and slowly got up.

"Whoa there, you're not moving for the time being! You have a few days of healing to do before...you...can..." she slowed as I hopped out of the bed and stretched, awarding myself a series of sharp pops from my back. My right front leg was in some gauze, and it smarted every time I took a step.

"Healing ability. I'm fine now, but my chest and leg still kinda hurt. Where are your parents anyways?" I asked cooly.

"In the other room, but do you want to meet them now? I thought you'd be at least a bit rattled by all of this!" she exclaimed, and I gave her a long hug.

"Vui, I've been beaten to the ground so many times it's impossible to count. I'm just happy that you're okay." I said softly and smiled.

"You're absolutely incredible. I'm so lucky to have you Xen..." she said warmly and nuzzled my neck.

"Alright, ready to go?" she asked after a few minutes.

"As ready as I'll ever be." I replied.

"Just be yourself, and don't be afraid. They're going to love you." she assured me and pushed open a huge set of double doors leading to a trendy sitting area. A large fireplace crackled loudly in the corner, showering us in instant warmth.

"Mom, Dad, this is Xen." she said strongly, waiting for their response. The two Eeveelutions turned their heads and looked at the two of us thoughtfully.

"So he's actually real?" the Glaceon joked, making Vui whine unhappily.

"MOM! Don't embarrass me in front of him!" she cried, then looked at me sheepishly. "Sorry Xen, I've already told them a bit about you..."

"Listen son, I'm really sorry about beating the shit out of you, but I thought you had beaten up our daughter. I really lost my cool there." the father, who I identified as a Jolteon, apologized.

"I owe you big time too, because I would've hit Vui had you not taken the hit. Arceus, I'm a dumbass!" he exclaimed angrily.

"U-Um...I-It's fine sir..." I stammered nervously. "If you don't mind me asking, what level are you? Because those hits sure packed a ton of damage!"

"Oh a fighter, are you? I'm a level 97 actually, and I'm still amazed you could take hits and deal damage right back to me!" he said excitedly.

"Well...I've had my fair share of fights.." I said quietly, and the two looked at each other nervously.

"You aren't any trouble, are you? Not some kind of bad person?" they asked in unison, and I hung my head. Luckily, Vui stepped in.

"_Mom, Dad! _Can we not do this right now?!" she whispered, but I could easily hear her.

"No, it's okay. You want your daughter safe and I get that completely. Ask away." I said, and waited for their response.

"What do you mean 'fair share of fights'?" the Glaceon asked.

"If you guys don't already know, Umbreon are loathed in this area, so I've been beat up almost daily since the first grade." I said softly.

"Did you fight back?" the Jolteon asked.

"No, because I would be killed if I resisted at all." I replied shakily.

"That's awful! Can't the town council do anything?!" Vui's mom exclaimed.

"If they tried there would be a riot and it would not be pretty. I'm not too bothered by it." I finished.

"Okay...so do you have any family that lives here?" her parents asked, and Vui turned to me as well.

"Um...no..." I answered.

"Any relatives at all?" the father asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"I live alone and have since I came here 12 years ago." I replied.

"On that note, how old ARE you?" the mother asked, and her husband's gaze turned to steel.

"I'm 17." I answered, and they both breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"Whew. I could have sworn by the way you fought you were at least 25! I thought you were way too old for our girl, but it's good that you two are really close in age." he said.

"What kind of student are you?" the mother asked, and I could sense that there were only a few questions left.

"I've gotten straight 100s in every class I've taken since 1st grade..." I said meekly. I was proud of my achievements, but not everyone saw it that way.

_Like those kids in elementary school..._

"Impossible! Don't they give you a pre-test on the material you haven't even learned yet at the start of the year?" her father asked in disbelief.

"Y-Yes. I aced them all." I replied, slightly embarrassed at the achievement.

"Damn Vui, you got a good one huh?" the father remarked proudly. Vui smiled and hugged me lovingly.

"I sure did." she said softly, and I smiled back.

"Okay, okay. One more question. Vui told us about you defending her _twice_, and all about you in general. Why would you do that for her?" the two asked.

I grimaced. "I'm fine with being beaten up, I'm fine with being discriminated, I'm even fine with being humiliated, because they're only hurting me. But if someone that associates with me gets the hate transferred to them simply because they're around me, that's not okay. In Vui's case, she was even abused, verbally and physically, and that's where I draw the line. I will NOT stand to live in a world where someone I love is abused because of who I am. That's why I defended her." I said strongly, and waited for their response.

"Did you just say 'love'?" Vui asked with an amazed expression on her face. I smiled nervously and looked at her parents again.

"Well. I didn't believe in you at first kid, but I'm thoroughly impressed. You have my approval to date my daughter. Honey?" he asked his wife.

"That was beautiful Xen. If anyone dates my girl, I would want them to be as caring and loving as you are. You two have my full support! Plus he's quite easy on the eyes, isn't he Vui?" she said naughtily.

I looked at Vui, whose cheeks were a bright red. "Mom!" she squeaked.

Her father rolled his eyes. "Females." he said to me and I chuckled in agreement.

"Um, so what should I call you two..?" I asked, and their eyes went wide in shock.

"Oh for the love of Arceus! We forgot to tell the poor kid our names!" Vui's mother wailed, and the father facepawed.

"I knew we were forgetting something!" he groaned.

"I'm actually not named, since my trainer never named me, but you can just call me Surge I suppose. He was a Gym Leader my trainer and I fought once." he said.

"And I'm Arcilia." her mother added, smiling broadly.

"Son, this may seem a bit sudden, but where do you live?" Surge asked quickly.

"I live in a cave about ten miles from here." I replied.

"How do you get to school on time?!" he gasped.

"Welllll, I run at my max speed and it's a cinch really. I like to walk though, appreciate nature and all before I get there." I replied.

Surge turned and looked at his wife, who nodded slightly.

"Xen, we want you to stay here with us. Anyone who loves our daughter and is willing to protect her with his life is always welcome here. Do you want to?" he asked proudly.

"I-I u-um... w-well I-I'm not really... I don't know if I can." I blurted out, then lowered my eyes from them to the ground.

"Would you mind if we asked why?" he asked softly.

"Everyone I lived with in the past years has been k-killed by something. I can't let that happen to anyone else, especially not you people. I'm sorry..." I confessed.

I saw Vui look at her parents with a pleading look, and her dad nodded in response.

"Xen, I have a proposal to make to you. Your life seems to have been extremely painful and depressing up until now, and I can't bear to see you like this. Please accept our offer, and maybe you'll start to feel better?" she asked softly.

I looked at her with pure happiness, and she stared back at me lovingly. Then, in front of her parents, she stepped forwards, connected ours maws together and kissed me passionately. We broke away after a few seconds and I peeked at her parents nervously.

"For the love of Arceus Vui, give the man a chance!" Arcilia laughed, and her father shook his head.

"I don't see how you can say no to that, my friend. Vui, you are just like your mother!"

"I guess I'm staying then. Just please, all of you, don't get yourselves killed because of me. I would not be able to go on." I pleaded, and Surge rolled his eyes.

"Dude, I'm a fucking level 97. I'm not going anywhere fast." he laughed, and I had a sudden urge to ask him a question.

"Who was your trainer? I'm sorry, I just feel like I've heard of you somewhere!" I exclaimed, and Surge smiled.

"My trainer was actually pretty famous, so you very well may have heard of me. His name...was Red."

* * *

**Review time! Thank you to all of the amazing reviewers and people who fav'd and followed! You guys rock! ;3**

Umbreon2098- **Thanks dude! Don't be speechless too long or else you'll be mute like Xen :s And sorry about the cussing haha, but I'm pretty foul-mouthed, so I'll be doing a lot of that for a long time to come XD I think it also makes it more realistic as well, given the situation and all :) Thanks again! :D**

PokeGamma54- **Awesome man thanks! I love these stories too, and that's why I'm writing em! Thanks for supporting this story and my other one! :3**

OrenjiSplash- **The feels are real bro :* The students do suck lol, but Xen will always win! ;D Hehe after I amass more loyal viewers we shall take over FF and call the world ours! *Laughs maniacally* and yes, I am very sorry about the Espeon slipup involving RyotaEdge's story :s But its all fixed now thanks to you! :D The stories will look a lot alike as well because any Umbreon x Espeon is kind of cliched haha. Thanks for all of the incredible support! :3**

Bassingby- **I'm glad ya like it! I'm looking forward to writing more! ;D**

EC115- **Haha the logon game is weak ;P But I know how you feel as well, cause Xen is actually loosely (VERY loosely) based off of my schooling experience :) I don't fight back usually either but if someone physically hurt me or a friend...well lets just say I went SUPER SAIYAN! XD (Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ...I hate disclaimers...) Thanks for the support man and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! :D**

dusk5261- **Welcome to a new story dude! Thanks for reading all of my stuff ;) I tried to make Xen as patient as possible but ya know, everyones had enough at some point ;) Hope you enjoyed and thanks again! :3**

Voremistress- **Congrats! Your amazing intro really did make this story flow better, so thank you a ton for that! Haha and you finally get your romance scenes ;) Not to brag but I think I'm a good romance writer huh? ;D**

**Xen- No.**

**Writer- Ah shut up kid. I swear I should've kept you mute...**

**Xen- I'd still get more action than you.**

**Writer- :o **

* * *

**And that's it guys! Wow! 7 reviews, 15 favorites, AND 17 followers all on the first chapter! You guys are crazy 0.o But that's fine with me! :D Thanks for all of this amazing support and I'll see you guys in the next chapter of my other story (being updated this Wednesday!) Take care! (^_^)/**

**-Shade**


	3. Chapter 3: Immolation

**Disclaimer: You know the drill.**

**Hey everyone. I'm awfully sorry for this chapter's post time. It's been...hard to write. This chapter is based off of some events that happened when I was in high school, and I don't like to relive them. But I'm glad I finally got them out :) Also, this chapter has very descriptive scenes of intense depression and self-harm. If you're sensitive to those topics, please don't read this. Additionally, anyone who thinks that you're worthless in the world, you're not! I love all of you, so stay strong and keep your chin up! c:**

**On a happier note, Valentines Day was yesterday! Time for guys everywhere to dump all their money on 50 cent chocolates that are far too overpriced! Fun Fact: The average human spends $129 on their loved one for Valentines Day. Yikes... I spent my Valentines drinking coffee, watching anime, and pushing in CS:GO! Thank goodness for Interwebs ;D**

**Enough of my worthless babbling! I'll leave you with the chappy to enjoy, but please don't flame! This is a hurt/comfort story, so expect hurt to be in there along with comfort! (I feel idiotic saying that lol) Big thanks to VoreMistress for keeping me sane (I need it sometimes haha) and I'll catch you guys on Wednesday! Take care.**

**-Shade**

* * *

"So how was that dinner?" Vui asked me as we lounged in the courtyard. The mansion was incredibly large and had a huge forest-like preserve in the center of it all, which was quite the sight to see on a night like this.

"It was mind-blowing. I never knew food could taste so good!" I praised.

"Y'know what else'll blow your mind?" she asked. "Follow me."

She ran into the mini-forest and I followed shortly after. She led me through trees, bushes, even smacking me in the face with a branch from time to time. Eventually we reached a small clearing with a circular pond in the middle.

"Isn't it beautiful?" she asked in wonder. The moon lit the pond up beautifully, casting white glimmers of light around the clearing.

I nudged her playfully. "Not as beautiful as you are."

"You're such a great guy Xen. Honestly, you're amazing. I just wish you would open up and tell me a bit more about yourself." she confessed. I licked her cheek lovingly.

"What do you want to know?" I asked, deciding to wash her with my tongue. She sighed in delight and fell into a trance as I continued raking over her soft, velvety fur.

"Well...I really want to know about your past..." she said slowly, making me tense up.

"Can I-um maybe tell you that later? It's something I'm still coping with myself..." I confessed, and she nuzzled me lovingly.

"Of course! Just know that I'm here for you if you need to talk." she said, then began to wash my fur as well. After a few seconds she stopped and looked at me, obviously terrified.

"Xen...why do you have so many scars..." she asked in horror.

"Vui, people really don't like Umbreon around here." I answered.

_I've already told her about this, why is she confused?_

"No, I mean _these _scars!" she said, lifting up my leg fur and pointing to the dark red gashes.

"Fuck. I really didn't want to have this conversation right now...um...do you want the truth?" I asked nervously, earning a nod from her in return.

"Ok. Vui...this will be kind of hard to hear. It's one of my darkest secrets ever, and it brings back awful memories, memories I never wanted to relive again. Just listen, please?" I said shakily. She looked at me deeply and wrapped her body around mine, giving me the courage to start.

"Okay. back in my freshman year of high school, I was going through a pretty rough time. If you thought it was bad recently...you have no idea. I was beat up, mobbed, I even had assassination attempts on me. It was a lot to take in as a 15 year old..." I murmured.

"Oh my Arceus! Xen that's awful! People tried to kill you?! At least you stayed strong!" she congratulated me, to which I replied with a grim sigh.

"I wasn't as strong as I am now Vui. I believed what they said back then so I did awful things to myself. One day I slipped and stabbed myself in the paw with a thorn, and it totally took my mind off of everything else. Away from all of the hell that I was facing, away from the hate, I just felt the pain that soothed me so much. I...started to cut myself daily after that. I was on a downward spiral for months until I almost sliced my paw clean off in one particular session. I nearly bled out that night, which made me close to death for days to come. No one cared, no one even noticed I was gone from school as I was painfully recovering. But I realized something. I could die and no one would care. I decided that even if no one else cared, I would. And I've never unsheathed a claw on myself since. I just have these hideous scars to prove how close I was to dying from my own claws."

I looked down at Vui, who had gone silent. Her innocent eyes that were full of happiness had gone dark, causing her lip to quiver as well.

"Xen...why? Your life, or any life for that matter, always has purpose to it. That's why Arceus created you. You're here for a reason! Promise me you'll never quit again." she said quietly.

"Vui, I can't promise that-" I started.

"No, PROMISE ME!" she yelled, then broke into a fit of tears.

"Shhh, can I finish please? I can't promise that I won't give up on myself, but I can guarantee that I will never bail on you. As long as I have you, I won't be leaving anytime soon." I said warmly. She glanced up towards me with watery eyes.

"Do you mean it?" she asked, and I answered with a tender kiss to her lips, giving her all the assurance she needed. She relaxed and pushed me onto my back, giggling at her sudden dominance of the situation. Her lips glided onto my face, my neck, and my ears, giving me chills at how good she was at this. Right when we were getting really intense, she stopped in shock.

"Oh no! It's past three in the morning! We need to get back quickly before my parents realize we're not in bed!" she yelped, then started to drag me back towards her house.

_'in bed?' It almost sounds like she thinks we're sleeping together...must just be my imagination..._

"Vui, tomorrows a Wednesday. There's no school on Wednesdays anymore thanks to budget cuts." I reminded her, making her squeal in delight.

"I forgot! That means we can spend the whole day together!"

"It does. I'm looking forward to that!" I agreed happily. She smiled back and nuzzled up against me.

We walked down the courtyard in perfect silence, bathed by the glowing moonlight and intoxicatingly delicious smells of the wild.

"Xen?" Vui asked as we walked.

I looked down at her. "Mhmm?"

"Earlier in front of my parents when I kissed you, did you feel weird at all?"

"Hmm, I can't say that I did. You're such a great kisser that I probably wouldn't have noticed if Groudon and Kyogre were battling next to us! After we broke away, however, I was terrified that your dad was going to _kill _me, but he seemed pretty cool with it." I answered truthfully. She smirked and shrugged in agreement.

"What can I say? I'm a damn good lover, aren't I?" she asked smugly. I rolled my eyes and assured her she was the best one I've ever had, which fooled her until she realized that she was the only lover I had ever had.

"So you really do love me? Because I wasn't sure if you told my parents that just to impress them or if it was true." she blurted out, then blushed brightly.

"What? Why would I ever lie to your parents about something like this? Vui, I love you more than anyone or anything else in my life. You need to know that, and I'll make sure that you do ever single day, okay?" I said softly, resting my head on top of hers and kissing her forehead lightly.

"Oh Xen...you're perfect." she said happily, purring into my neck.

"Far from it babe, but if you're happy then I'm doing something right." I replied.

Vui smiled, then yawned with a squeak. "I'm wiped love, can we go to bed now?"

"Sure. Shall I carry you, your Highness?" I mocked.

"I thought you would never ask!" she exclaimed and hopped onto my back. I chuckled, then led us through the great double doors and into the west wing, which her parents had said was ours.

"Holy fuck..." I muttered as we walked through another set of double doors. The main room had a 4k TV, massive chandeliers, a fully stocked kitchenette area, and dozens of doors, which I assumed led to the rooms.

"So which bedroom is mine?" I asked, and she pointed towards a large set of sliding panels that opened up to a beautiful room with a massive waterbed and modern furnishing.

"This is amazing! Where's your room?" I asked, and she looked at me with a confused look on her face.

"Uh...right here?" she said, gesturing to the room we were in.

"Wait, so we're-"

"-Sleeping together. Is that a problem?" she finished my sentence for me.

"N-No, not at all! I've just...always slept alone..." I confessed, making her smile widely.

"Oh you'll be fine, it's just like sleeping alone except it's more fun!" she assured me.

I clambered onto the bed hesitantly, unlike Vui, who jumped onto the bed totally comfortable. I laid down, amazed at how much better it felt compared to a stone slab. for the first time in months I relaxed and allowed myself to let my guard down, loosening my shoulders and muscles slowly. My tranquility was interrupted when Vui curled up alongside me and gazed into my eyes.

"Well? How is it?" she asked eagerly.

"Per-fucking-fection" I announced, putting my paws behind my head and stretching out contentedly. Vui took this opportunity to lay her head on my furry chest and wrap her arms around me, keeping me in a warm embrace. I dropped my left arm down and hugged her tightly, squeezing a small purr from out of her. I leaned down and gently kissed her one final time, savoring her amazing taste, before falling asleep with her in my arms.

"...shh..you'll wake them...!" "no I won't...calm down..."

I cracked an eyelid open and lazily glanced at the source of the noise.

It was Vui's parents.

_Um what the fuck? Why are they in here? Oh no, we're sleeping together! _

"Sir? Ma'am?" I asked loudly, making them both nearly jump out of their skin.

"AH! Arceus, I told you this was a bad idea, Arcilia!" Surge exclaimed. Arcilia grew red with embarrassment and smiled. Vui had somehow stayed asleep and murmured softly, wrapping her arms around me again.

"So...what's going on here? I'm awfully sorry I didn't ask before sleeping with her...I would have at any other time but we got here kind of late last night and I didn't want to wake you. If you want me to leave I completely understand." I apologized.

"Oh shut up you goof! If you love her then you two can do whatever you want! That's how my husband and I were when were in high school as well so we know your situation. Anyways, WE just wanted to see you two together. To be honest Xen, you two make an absolutely amazing couple! You're also her first ever lover so just go easy on her, alright?" Arcilia said softly, and I could see the worry in her eyes.

"Don't worry, believe it or not she's my first as well. I just act very calm and low-key all the time so I come off as a player. That's one of the reasons why I tend to rub others the wrong way." I replied.

"Oh that's a relief! I thought you were one of 'those guys' Which would've sucked cause I really like you." Surge said bluntly. I smiled at him.

"Well we'll leave you two alone now,

"Can I ask for your help? What does she like to do? I want to make her weekend really special but I don't know what she likes to eat, what she likes to do, or anything of the sort..." I said sheepishly.

"You really are a nice guy Xen. She likes Pokémon battles, you can thank her father for that one, home-cooked meals, and I think she also likes to explore, which she hasn't had a chance to do yet..." Arcilia offered with a smile. I grinned back.

"She also loves the water, and I heard that there's a breathtaking waterfall not too far from here! Supposedly it borders onto a ravine or something as well, and how cool is that?" Surge suggested. My eyes darkened.

"Oh...um...that may not be a good idea..." I mumbled, but the two had already begun talking.

"Oh my Arceus! You two can have a picnic there! Oh, that would be perfect! We'll have the chefs whip up some food and you two can pick them up before you leave! Bye!" Arcilia decided, then dragged Surge out of the room with her.

"Ah...were you talking Xen?" Vui yawned as she woke up. I was in a whole other place.

_The waterfall? That borders on the ravine? That-that's where I-... _

"AAAH!" I screamed, rocketing off of the bed and slamming into a wall. I scrambled to get up and got into a fighting stance, ready to take down any enemy that was near.

"Who's there?! What touched me?!" I yelled as my heart rate skyrocketed. After a few seconds of silence I took a shaky breath and looked back towards Vui. She was curled up on the bed, hugging her knees to her chest tightly.

"Xen...what's wrong..." she whimpered softly, rocking back and forth slowly. I couldn't take it anymore. I fell onto the floor and broke down in tears.

"I-I'm so sorry...it's just...I'm not ready...to..." I cried, sobbing about things she didn't know. She got up slowly and gently rubbed by back, speaking sweet words into my ears.

But all I heard was a dull ringing. The world suddenly was sucked away and I experienced a weird sort of tunnel vision, disconnecting me from the world. Then I blacked out.

_"will he be okay...what happened...Vui, stop crying...he'll be fine...when will he wake up..."_

I snapped up quickly in the bed, surrounded by Vui's family and other Pokémon I didn't recognize. Multiple wires were connected to my body and a rapid beeping filled the room.

"Whoa there hun. Sit back down. You need rest." a Chansey said softly, gently pushing me back down.

"I'm f-fine...what happened?" I whispered.

"We don't know. You just collapsed, according to Vui, and wouldn't stop twitching. We thought you might have suffered from a seizure but that's impossible given the circumstances." Surge answered. Vui popped out from behind her father and hugged me tenderly, drawing tears to my eyes.

"I-I'm so sorry everyone...I was just overwhelmed and really stressed. It won't happen again." I said softly, choking on my own emotions. Surge and Arcilia looked at each other quickly, then back towards me.

"Xen...when the doctors came and set you up on the machines, your heart rate was going at 150bpm to upwards of 200bpm. That's dangerously high and you could have died. It's a wonder you didn't! Please tell us, what was bothering you so much?" Arcilia asked quietly. My heart rate jumped again, sending the machine off the charts.

"Um...I'm just afraid of super tall heights like the place we were talking about earlier! It's nothing big, I was thinking too hard and flipped out when Vui brushed up against me." I lied through my teeth, praying to Arceus they would buy it.

"Hm. If you say so. Now! I think he's better, huh doc?" Surge asked the Chansey, who checked my vitals again.

"Yep! He looks perfectly fine! You may have a bit of a headache but nothing big. Just take it easy, alright?" she said sternly, earning a nod from me. She smiled and walked out of the room, ushering Vui's parents along with her.

I glanced down at Vui, who was still clinging onto me. I brushed the top of her head with my tongue, enjoying her irresistible scent.

A muffled voice interrupted the peace. "Xen...? I'm really sorry for scaring you. I didn't mean to-"

"Vui. Stop. It was my fault. I had way too much on my mind and I just had a nervous breakdown. It's a big change you know? Going from a total recluse who lives alone to a loving family who wants the best for me." I whispered softly, running my paw over her head.

She pulled her head out of my chest and smiled happily. "Well we do love you, so we'll be here if you need to talk to us. Should we go for a walk or something?" she asked. I wanted nothing more than to do that, but I needed some time alone.

"Actually, would you mind if I walked alone? I really need to clear my head". I said sheepishly. She smiled and nodded.

"That's fine. Be safe! I love you." she said, wrapping me in another perfect embrace.

I squeezed her back and smiled happily. "I love you too."

_Well fuck me. That was awful! Passing out because of a stupid memory of that ravine? I need to calm down, get a grip, and-_

"HEY!" a familiar voice yelled. I turned around lazily, annoyed that I get no free time to myself anymore, then froze. It was the Floatzel from before.

_Damn it! I have enough on my mind without this loser bugging me!_

"I know you can talk now, so drop the whole mute bullshit!" he continued, walking up to me until we were nose-to-nose. His posse emerged a few seconds later, surrounding us in a rough circle.

I sighed, tired of this idiot. "What do you want? I have no quarrel with you, so just go away, _Prince Flarate_?" I mocked, making his face turn a bright crimson.

"It's Jack Flarate to you, lowlife. And I want you to _leave._" he growled, earning a chuckle from me.

"Um...nope! I like it here, y'know? Plus, now I'm in a relationship, so it would be kinda rude to just pick up and go." I said cheekily.

"Let me rephrase that. You are _going to leave_." Jack said, moving even closer to my face.

"I'm not going anywhere." I hissed lowly, taking a fighting stance. This action seemed to scare the shit out of his group, because they all backed up. They knew what I could do.

He grinned smugly at me. "Oh yes you are. Because I'm going to kill Vui and her whole family if you don't. How about that, you disgraceful piece of trash?"

I stopped breathing. I couldn't believe it. I hadn't even thought about blackmail. What could I do?

"Y-You wouldn't!" I rasped, my mouth suddenly as dry as a Cubone's skull.

He sauntered even closer to me and bared his teeth. Then, he snapped them shut with a sharp _clack._ Just as I had done to him two days ago. My heart almost stopped, because I knew he would do it.

"You will quit school, leave her, and never show your face again. For your information, I am very influential in this forest. I know one hitman that could clear her entire family in mere seconds, even her outrageously over leveled father."

"I believe you have heard of the assassin I'm talking about. Do NOT make me call him. Clear?" he snapped, ramming his casted arm into my neck. I made no effort to block it. The assassin he was talking about...he was the real deal. Jack had won.

_THUD_

"Good boy. You were never meant to be dominant, because that's left for real men. Now get out of my sight." he commanded.

"Please...how do I tell her?" I asked through gritted teeth. Begging at this rich kid's feet was the last thing I wanted to do, but if I wanted to keep them alive this was the path I had to take.

"I don't care. But my name will not be mentioned, nor will anyone else that is associated with me. Tell her that you don't love her, that she's ugly, whatever you'd like. Just do it." he shrugged. Then he hit me again, bringing specks of blood to my lips.

"Later, loser." he chuckled, then walked away with his group of lackeys following in close pursuit. As they walked by, every single one of them shot me a foul glare. But as a certain Weavile passed me, he looked almost sorry. Before I could get a second look, though, they were all gone, swallowed up by the forest.

I stood there in shock, my own blood seeping out of my lips and splattering onto the ground. In one walk my life had turned from heaven on earth to my own personal hell. And Vui was about to be the first sacrifice.

_No...no...not Vui. I have to keep her safe. I-I have to tell her I don't love her...Arceus, why me?! I haven't done anything wrong, so WHY ARE YOU PUNISHING ME?!_

I dragged myself up and began my walk back to her mansion, dreading every step. The birds that had once been chirping had all gone silent.

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

My claws clacked as I stepped onto the rock that surrounded Vui's mansion. I was so stressed I hadn't even known they were unsheathed. This was going to be bad. I stepped out of the shadows and stood silently in the clearing, looking at the beautiful canopy once more.

"XEN!" a girly voice called, with it's owner walking out of the double doors to the mansion shortly after. Vui looked absolutely stunning, and I felt a lump form in my throat.

_Oh no. All I want to do is hold her! But...I can't...I have to keep her safe... so I have to hurt her. Fuck my life..._

"Hey! You weren't gone for long! Anything happen?" she asked, brushing her body up against mine. I stiffened and almost told her the truth, then remembered the assassin. I knew what he could do, and he would kill without any qualms. I could NOT let that happen to her and her family. Never again.

_They all die because of me. Whoever I'm around is immolated. This time, I have a warning. I cannot let it slip between my paws. I have to tell her what he told me. Arceus, please give me strength for what I have to do._

"Vui, we need to talk." I said bluntly. She smiled and nodded.

"Sure! About what?" she chirped happily. I nearly threw up when I realized that I had to crush my only love's heart to bits.

"About us." I retorted. Her gaze hardened instantly.

"Oh. Okay. What's up?" she said slowly, her voice quivering a bit.

I sucked in a deep breath and closed my eyes. "We can't be together anymore."

She looked like I had just slapped her. "What?" she asked quietly.

"We can't be together anymore. I said it pretty clearly. Can't you hear?" I growled. Her eyes widened and grew watery.

"No...you..we..why?!" she yelled, pushing me away from her.

"I don't love you. I never have and I never will." I replied, feeling my resolve beginning to crumble. I dug my claws into my paws so hard they begun to bleed, but she couldn't see that.

"Bullshit! You told me this morning that you loved me! YOU TOLD ME!" she cried, visibly hurt. A second later, I felt the sharp sting of a slap ram into my cheek. The first time she had ever lifted a paw on me.

I roared in laughter, nearly unable to hold myself together. "Bitch please! I've been using you! That's what guys do!"

"No...no. This isn't real. This isn't happening..." she choked. "Xen, I know you love me! What we share is REAL!" she cried, and tried to move closer to me. I stepped further back.

"No it's not. Now get out of my life!" I yelled, turning away as tears began to prickle the back of my throat. The life I so desperately wanted was slowly being yanked away from me.

"NO!" she insisted, and jumped onto me. "I WON'T LET YOU DO THIS!"

She twisted me around and rammed her maw against mine, kissing me like she had never kissed me before. It was so full of love, but I couldn't accept it. If only she knew I was trying to protect her...

_Damn it...I have to resist! I can't let her be murdered! Forgive me Vui._

I jammed my paw on her chest and pushed her away, then wiped my mouth in fake disgust. Her eyes filled with tears at my act of cruelty.

"TELL ME THAT MEANT NOTHING!" she howled, sending shiver down my spine. I steeled myself and stared her dead in the eyes. My heart shattered at what I said next.

"That meant nothing to me. Never do that again, got it? Leave me alone. We're OVER." I said coldly, then whipped around and sprinted away, leaving her in the clearing all alone.

I couldn't hold them in. All the emotions I had bottled up over the twelve years exploded out of me, all of the sadness, sorrow, pain, and loss consumed me, driving me deeper and deeper into my own self-created hell.

_I can't go on. I can't. She was my only reason to live. She's all I have. That's it._

I was dead. In my eyes I was already dead, useless to the whole world. I was merely a shell, with nothing inside of it, only grief. I kept running, lashing through the undergrowth without any regards to myself. The thorns and vines cut into my skin but I felt no pain. Physical pain no longer hurt, because all that affected me was the pain within myself. I slammed into a huge tree and ignored it, cutting through it like it was butter. I opened my eyes and realized where I was.

My cave. Where I belonged. I dashed forward, then crashed through the door and sobbed loudly.

"NOOOOOO!" I cried, slamming myself into the walls. I couldn't take it.

"WHY ME?! WHY ME?! TELL ME! TELL ME!" I screamed, feeling my sanity slowly slip away. The world grew darker, almost as if a black haze was put in front of my eyes.

After I was cut, bruised, and bleeding, I collapsed onto the ground and howled in pain. Only this pain came from my shattered heart, not the broken body my destroyed spirit now filled.

_I can't go on. I actually can't. I guess it's time._

I stood up slowly and went to one of the walls. I reached into a small crack in between two stones and pulled out a fistful of small bottles. Pill bottles that were given to me to make me norma. My eyes trailed the labels emotionlessly.

**Prozac: Anti-Depressant. Highly dangerous. Read back for dosages. Do not take without doctor approval. Do NOT mix with other prescriptions.**

**Prescription: Xen. Umbreon. Male. Age 17. **

**Tylenol: Painkiller. Only use when instructed by a doctor. Do not use in succession with other drugs.**

**Prescription: Xen. Umbreon. Male. Age 15. **

**Adderal: Hyperfocus medication. Do not take over the daily dosage. Use with caution. Do not mix with other drugs. Dulled senses may be experienced.**

**Prescription: Xen. Umbreon. Male. Age 15. **

**Cardizem: Beta Blocker. Only take when under severe stress. Do not take more than once a day. Do NOT take when other drugs are in use.**

**Prescription: Xen. Umbreon. Male. Age 17.**

I looked at the bottles grimly. All of them to treat me, all of them to 'help' me. They didn't work. I had taken six doses of each over the years, none of them even slightly helping my conditions.

"At least now they'll be useful..." I muttered, and popped the tops. I examined the contents of the bottles, each one containing the same four pills I had left them with. I swallowed hard, never expecting this day to come.

_Vui, Surge, Arcilia, Mom, Dad...Ota... I'm sorry. _

_I'm sorry that you died because of me, Mom, Dad, and Ota. _

_I'm even sorrier for hurting you and your family, Vui. I only wanted to protect you._

_Arceus, forgive me for what I have to do. Please understand that there is nothing for me left in the world._

With fresh tears falling from my eyes, I tipped the pills into my paw. The small circles _clicked _together quietly, the small sound slightly scaring me. I took one last look at the four walls around me, the soft feeling of Vui's lips, the rush of adrenaline while playing with Ota, and the love of my parents when they hugged me.

_That was my life. Thank you everyone. I'm happy now..._

I looked at the pills one last time, disgusted at how those small orbs could control my life so much. I lifted my paw towards my face, then I dropped them all into my mouth, all at once. Choking slightly, I gulped all of them down in under a minute and closed my eyes, waiting for death to come and claim me. At least now I could be free.

Vui's POV

_No. Something is wrong. He's lying! I know he is!_

I trembled in fear when he ran away, but I swore I saw tears on his face. How could my kiss mean nothing?! He knew it meant something!

"Vui? What's going on out here?!" my parents yelled, jolting me back into reality. They walked over to me when I didn't reply.

"Vui? Did you hear us?" my father asked, gently placing a paw on my shoulder. I turned and looked him in the eyes. His expression darkened. He knew instantly.

"I'll kill him. No one hurts you, EVER. Arcilia, take her back inside. I'm going to bring our 'friend' back for a chat." he growled.

"Dad, NO! It isn't right!" I cried, latching onto his pelt. "Something is wrong with him, but I don't know what it is! He would never do that." I sobbed.

"Vui, if he hurt you, he will regret it. That's all there is to it. Tell me what he did to you, NOW!" he roared.

"SURGE! STOP IT AND LISTEN TO THE GIRL!" my mother cried, clutching my head to her chest. I stared glassy-eyed at my father. I had hoped to never see him like this again. Only once had he ever come to this state.

**_*Flashback*_**

_"Who said that?" he had asked tensely. When I was in middle school some student had threatened me. Something about me being a weak, prissy girl. Back then I was only an Eevee, so I was still regarded as weak._

_"A kid." I had replied, not wanting to get him in trouble. I never forgot the look on his face. He had stood up abruptly and grabbed my shoulders._

_"Tell. Me. Now." he hissed. I had never seen him act this way before, and for once, I was scared of my father. I knew how calm and collected he was usually, and seeing him enraged was terrifying._

_"It was just some slack-jawed idiot Dad! I know I'm better than him, so it didn't bother me in the slightest. You taught me to keep my cool, and I did. Please, let it go." I said softly, staring him straight in the eyes._

_"I-I-I'm sorry honey. I shouldn't have done that..." he said , removing his iron grip from my shoulders. He smiled at me and rubbed my head, then gave me a kiss on my cheek. _

_"You have my wisdom and your mother's beauty. We're so lucky to have you, Vui. Let's get back to dinner, shall we?" he said smoothly, handing me an Oran Berry._

_***End**_**_ Flashback*_**

"STOP IT, BOTH OF YOU!" I screamed, butting my mother away and holding them both in place with a Psychic.

"Let. Us. Go." my father commanded. Although he was a level ninety-seven, there was nothing he could do about my attack. He was helpless.

"No. You two need to calm the FUCK down and listen to me! I _love _Xen, and I know that he would never hurt me on purpose. I'm going after him, and I am going to solve this!" I spat.

"You will do no such thing! I'm going to bring him back here and we're going to have a long talk about what just happened! On that note, what actually happened?" he grunted.

I shook my head furiously, trying to forget his hurtful words.

_"I don't love you. I never have and I never will."_

"He told me he didn't love me. But he's lying." I said softly, burying my head into my paws.

"You can't be sure of that!" my mother insisted, earning a growl from me.

"YES! I can. That was what true love felt like, and I'll be damned if I let him go without a fight! Now you can choose to come with me and find him, or you can stay right here until I come back. What's it going to be?" I spat.

My father stared me dead in the eyes, then sighed. "I was right. You have my wisdom and your mother's beauty. But, you also have our unbreakable will. We'll go."

"Fine. Where do you think he went?" I asked, dropping them both to the ground lightly. My father, the master strategist, started mumbling to himself for a few seconds, then his eyes lit up.

"His cave. He mentioned it once before in our conversation. He's most likely there, and that's a good ten miles out of town. How are we going to get-" he stopped as I took off.

"Hey! Where did you learn to run like that?!" he yelled as he zipped up to my side. My mother fell in beside me as well, although she seemed to be struggling a bit at our breakneck speed.

"I learned from the best!" I smirked, making him chortle in laughter.

We sped through the forest, flying through vines, leaves, and even small Pokémon. It was evident that Xen had come through this way, because the destroyed foliage that was ahead of us was leading right to his cave.

"There! That has to be his cave!" I yelled, nodding towards a hole in a small mountain.

"Wait...why is the door demo'd?" my dad asked suspiciously. I stopped in my tracks and observed the door. It was hanging on one hinge, totally split in half.

"Huh. It almost looks like someone ran...right...into it." I said slowly, suddenly concerned. "Dad, do you think he's hurt?"

"He's about to be more than hurt. Go in and get him. Then we're going to have a small _chat._" he growled, his coat glowing a dull yellow.

"O-Ok. I'll be right back!" I called, then walked towards his cave. I slowly tapped on the half destroyed door, making it fall completely off of the hinges. I gave my parents a sheepish grin, then stepped inside of the dark room. I was not ready for what I saw next.

_Xen. No._

Pill bottles. The small orange tubes were littered around the floor, all of them uncapped and empty. What I saw next touched the deepest parts of my soul with fear.

Xen's body was in the middle of them all. He didn't move a muscle. Even when I screamed in horror.

"MOM! DAD! HELP!" I cried, throwing myself onto him and shaking violently.

"WAKE UP! WAKE UP DAMNIT! WAKE UP! XEN!" I screeched. I slapped his face as hard as I could, but he still didn't move a muscle. That's when I realized that not even his heart was giving off any movement. He was deathly still.

"VUI? WHAT"S WRONG?!" my dad roared, speeding into the room. I looked back at him , and he lowered his gaze to the black and yellow Pokémon in my arms. Then he saw the pill bottles and put two and two together.

"ARCILIA! GET HER OUT OF THE WAY!" he yelled, summoning my mother instantly. She snatched me up and launched us to the other side of the room, then wrapped my head in her arms.

"Don't look sweetie. Please, don't look." she sobbed. I looked.

My dad had his head to Xen's chest, shaking slightly. Then he stepped back and began to breathe heavily. A Thunder Punch began to envelop his paw, slowly filling the room with a disgusting burning smell. His paw suddenly flashed a brilliant yellow, electricity now forming small lightning bolts that zapped out of his paw. He looked at me sadly, then jabbed Xen's side with his paw.

"no..." I whispered. "DAD YOU'RE KILLING HIM! MOM, STOP HIM!" I cried, writing in her powerful grasp.

"Shh. Calm down Vui. He's trying to get his heart beating again. Please, look away dear." she murmured, but there was no way I was doing that.

"COME...ON...DAMNIT!" he roared, then hit Xen with a humongous Thunderbolt. Then all was still. He bent his head down to Xen's chest and stood still. Then he shook his head softly.

"No...no...no..." I whimpered, struggling out of my mother's grasp and into Xen's body. I buried my nose into his chest, hoping for anything, any sign of life. But I was only met with a crushing silence. For some reason I had a small idea, one that I highly doubted would even work. But I had to try.

/_Xen...I don't know if you can hear me, but if you can, then I'm sorry. I should have never let you go. I love you Xen. Please, never forget that./ _

I had remembered when Xen used a Psychic in the nurse's office to disable Prof. Al's own Psychic. It was strange, but I could _feel _him when he was there, even though I was unconscious. Perhaps if I tried to talk to him using Psychic...it would work. But I got no reply.

"Vui...it's time to go. We'll call the hospital to get him picked up. I-I'm sorry honey. Let's just go home now...and try to forget about this..." my father choked, with tears streaming down his face.

"How can I ever forget about him? He was my only love, my best friend, and just...amazing. Dad, why did this happen?" I sobbed, squeezing Xen tighter.

"Sometimes others do things for reasons we can't explain. I-I don't know why Xen...committed suicide, but...Arceus, I don't know why." he whispered.

"Let's go. Theres nothing else we can do." my mother said softly, then gently rubbed my back. I slowly pulled my head out of my true love's chest, giving his lips one final kiss.

_Bump-bump._

I froze.

_Wait a second...was that?_

_Bump-bump. Bump-bump. Bump-bump._

"No...no way..." I whispered, staring at Xen's chest and watching the fur begin to expand outwards.

"He's not dead..." I exclaimed. "HE'S NOT DEAD!"

"What in the world...?" my parents said in unison, watching the Umbreon's chest beating steadily.

"Wait a second...why is it going up?" I said quietly. His chest was expanding and contracting quite quickly now, but his heart rate was skyrocketing.

_Bumpbumpbumpbumpbumpbumpbumpbumpbumpbumpbububububububbbbbbbbbb-_

Then it stopped and Xen's eyes flitted open.

"What the...Vui? Surge? Arcilia?" he gasped. He looked down at me, and I nearly screamed in shock.

"HOW ARE YOU ALIVE?! YOU WERE DEAD! WHY DID YOU TRY TO KILL YOURSELF?!" I screamed.

"I-what? Kill myself? I didn't...do...oh no. No no no...Jack. I-I HAVE TO GO!" he gasped, pushing off of of him and sprinted towards the door.

"Oh no you don't!" my dad yelled, tackling him on the spot.

"NO! I CAN'T BE HERE! THE ASSASSIN WILL...NOT AGAIN! LET ME GO!" Xen cried in fear, whipping around in my father's iron grip.

"What are you babbling on about?! We trusted you Xen! You're dirt!" my father roared. Xen's eyes filled with tears and he broke down.

"I CAN'T LET WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL OF THE OTHERS HAPPEN TO YOU! IT'S NOT FAIR! JUST FORGET ABOUT ME!" he sobbed. I just sat there in shock. Never had I ever seen him this broken. He was utterly and completely destroyed, but at least he was alive.

"Xen...what are you talking about?" my mother interjected. He turned away and avoided our eyes.

"Please...for the love of Arceus. Let me leave. I don't belong anywhere..." he pleaded, still weakly struggling in my dad's grip.

"Xen, you're a part of our family now. We care about you, and if you think we're going to leave you alone after you tried to overdose on medication then you're sorely mistaken." my dad said softly, loosening his grip on him.

Xen's eyes shot open and he ran out of the door, leaving all of our jaws to hit the floor. We looked outside and saw him writhing in pain of the ground, vomiting all the contents of his stomach into the grass. He stood up shakily and tried to run again, but it seemed as if the drugs had caught up to him. His legs were completely disobeying any command he sent to them, as were the rest of his muscles.

_What kind of drugs did he take?!_

I stood up and slowly walked to his side, then stared him directly in the eyes. He opened his mouth to speak again but I gently pressed my tail to his lips.

"Xen. No matter what happens, you are special to all of us. I don't know why you just did what you did, but we're all safe. Nothing can harm us when we're all together. Calm down and let us take care of you." I whispered.

His eyes filled with tears again. "But that's where you're wrong. That's where you're _so _incredibly wrong. As long as I'm here, none of you are safe." he whimpered back.

"Listen. You need a doctor. Now either you come with us willingly or I hurt you so badly that you won't be able to even think about running away. Which one is it?" I spat. His eyes widened and he backed up, although slightly wobbly.

"Why the sudden change of tone?" he asked feverishly.

"Hmm. You broke my heart, tried to kill yourself, and now you want to run away. I'm a little more than slightly fucking mad at you." I hissed.

He sighed and motioned for my parents to come over. "Look guys. If I stay here...you will all be killed. You. Will. Die. That's all I'm going to say. Please, for the sake of your own lives, let me go. I swear I-I'll never come back. Just don't let more people die because of me." he said softly.

"Xen, I actually know where you're coming from. My trainer and I encountered countless enemies on our journeys. We were close to getting licked a few times as well. But we never, EVER gave up. So no, you're not leaving. And I'll be damned if I let you suffer any more because of some silly notion that an assassin is after us." my dad scoffed.

Xen gritted his teeth and began to shake in anger. "You have NO idea what I've been through...and this assassin is REAL! He's incredibly skilled, easily the best killer in the world. But no one knows about him. Not even what he looks like. Besides me." he growled.

"Wait...then how do you know him?" I asked in surprise. Xen squeezed his eyes shut and began to breathe heavily.

"I know him...because he was my father's best friend."

* * *

**P-P-P-P-P-Plot Twist! Who was Xen's father? What happened to all of Xen's loved ones? Biggest question of all: Who the hell is Ota?! It'll all be revealed soon enough ;) Sorry about the suicide scene but it had to be written. Thanks for reading and plzzzzz don't flame me xP**

**Reviews! Huge thanks to all of my reviewers! c;**

Aquatix13- **Yes. Xen is a badass :) And he does badass stuff. Wish the same could be said for me...lol...thanks for dropping a review!**

Umbreon2098- **I feel you man. I hate to rush, but if I kept the events stagnant for too long the rest of the story would seem incredibly boring. It'll turn out fine though, just wait and see ;) Thanks for reviewing!**

dusk5261- **I believe I gave a level for Xen in the first chapter, during his mental conversation with himself. Correct me if I'm wrong though lol. Your OC made an appearance! See if you can find him... ;) Heh heh heh...**

Orenji Splash- **Xen is a fast operator lol! Ah I really did want to go slower, oh well. The story is gonna get gooooood soon though! ;D Everyone is pretty foul-mouthed here, huh? I guess the same can be said for me too though haha! Your prediction was right...something bad did happen. Let's see if it can be fixed, shall we? *grins maliciously***

VoreMistress- **Well it's cool to see that someone liked the rushed feeling! It won't be happening very much though, only for a little bit c; Yes, yes, I know that I fuck up. If you haven't noticed, I've managed to fuck up every single chapter of both of my stories recently! (Yay..) Maybe someday I'll get good lol. Thanks for reviewing! :D**

trans am king- **Awesome dude! I hope you liked this chapter! Now to suffer for another week until I post another one...I'm truly sorry :* **

Guest- **Omg xD That sounds scarily similar to what my gf says to me when our Amazon subscription of Pocky comes each month...haha! Take that Twitter! I have a real life follower! *victorious fist pump***

Pickle the Tree Eater &amp; Pickle the Tree Eater- **Oh...too many uploads man lol xD I shall never post a story late! Just very, VERY close to the deadline...hehe xP**

Ten-X Legacy- **Fucking awesome pen name dude. And yes, I tend to fuck up quite a bit xc But I think this chappy has no mistakes in it! I think... *twitches* Thanks for reviewing! **

**Thanks for reviewing everyone! Lots of reviews, favs, and follows! It really touches my heart that you guys like my little creations c: I'm hosting a poll on my profile, so be sure to come check that out! I'll see you guys in a few days ;) Take care.**

**-Shade**


	4. Chapter 4: The Past Comes Back

**Disclaimer- No pokes. Poking is bad. Btw I don't have Pokémon rights**

**Yo yo yo! I'm feeling quite tired tonight so no long startup today :P Enjoy this chapter, because I had a LOT of fun writing it! It was pretty amazing to do, and I think you all are gonna like it as much as I do. ;)**

**As per usual, reviews at bottom and take care guys. You all offer the best support I've ever seen *-* lots of love :3**

**-Shade**

* * *

Xen's POV

"What do you mean?" Vui asked softly. I turned my head away from her gaze and buried it in my paws.

_Stupid. I should have kept that to myself. Stupid._

"I-He-When-We..." I hiccuped. The words just wouldn't come out.

"Hey. Look at me. You can tell us the truth..." she whispered softly, and when I looked at her eyes they were rimmed with tears.

I felt my anger spike. "Oh I can? I can tell you about how I lost my old life? How I watched my parents die right in front of my eyes? HOW I WATCHED MY GUARDIAN GIVE HIS LIFE TO SAVE MINE? REALLY? YOU WANT TO KNOW?!" I screamed. Surge stepped in front of Vui and Arcilia.

"EVERYONE I'VE EVER LOVED HAS DIED BECAUSE OF ME! AND IF YOU WANT TO DO THE SAME, THEN FUCK IT!" I cried.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST LET ME DIE?!" a distant voice said. I didn't even feel like myself anymore. The words were just flowing out.

"Xen, are you stable?" Surge said coldly. I glared at him angrily.

"Hmm, I just overdosed on all the pills I could. I'M THE FURTHEST FUCKING THING FROM STABLE!" I hissed back.

"Suit yourself. Since you're obviously delirious I have no choice. Sorry son." he said, then a yellow paw flew towards my gut. I felt all of the air escape from my lungs instantly and my eyes dimmed.

Beep.

What the...where am I?

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beepbeepbeepbeep.

Oh hell no.

I snapped my eyes open and was back in the mansion. Vui looked over to me and smiled weakly. My heart sank.

"Why am I here?" I rasped.

"You were going to die if we didn't flush out your blood. You had a lot of chemicals in your veins y'know. Xen...are you okay?" she asked.

I dropped my head. "No. I'm not okay. You heard what I said didn't you? I'm just bad luck. Can I go now? Please, before it gets even harder to leave! I can't let your family be hurt-"

Vui opened her mouth to reply, then the door slammed open. Surge and Arcilia walked in and sat on the corner of the bed.

"Xen. How are you?" they asked in unison.

I examined my body in mock seriousness. "I'm feeling decent enough. My head hurts something awful though."

"Well that's to be expected since you took enough pills to kill an adult Donaphan. The doctors can't describe how you lived either. It's almost like something was just keeping you alive." Arcilia butted in. I smiled grimly.

"Yeah they didn't taste too good. Now please listen to me. Thank you so much for bringing me here and curing me but I would've preferred to have died. I'll always be indebted to you for what you've done for me. But I have to go or else you all will be killed. Do you understand me?" I asked tensely.

To my surprise, they nodded. "Sure thing. If you don't want to be here and you want to 'save us' then we can't keep you." Surge sighed, then gestured to the nurse. She took all of the readers and IVs off of my arms and pulled the covers back. I stepped out of the plushy bed and looked at them.

"Look, I'm sorry-" I started, but Surge simply waved his hand to dismiss me. I looked at Arcilia and Vui and was bet with the same icy glare. I dipped my head respectfully and began to walk away.

"Jaques? Show Mr. Tasake to the door please." Surge called. I stopped dead in my tracks and turned around to stare at him.

"What did you just say?" I said mechanically. He swiveled around and smiled.

"We managed to do a bit of research on you while you were asleep. You're quite mysterious aren't you, Mr. Tasake?"

"Stop calling me that. How did you find out about me?" I hissed. "I know I'm not an easy Pokémon to find, so spit it out! Why do you want to know about me!"

"Whoa there. Calm down son." he said smoothly. My heart felt a twinge of regret.

"STOP CALLING ME 'SON'! YOU'RE NOT MY DAD!" I screamed, hurtling myself towards him at full speed. He zipped out of my way and pinned me down again. This act was getting a bit old.

"No, I'm not. But who is?" he asked. I looked him in the eyes and smiled.

"Go to hell, old man. I love Vui to death but if you think you can just come into my life and demand to know about my past then you can go fuck yourself. I swear, adults, therapists, doctors, you all think that you're so smart! I am not your little chew toy that you can just play with when you're bored! If you want to know about my past, then too bad! I've kept it a secret for my whole life and no one is going to take it by force." I spat. His eyes darkened.

"Dad! Can I have a talk with Xen?" Vui called from the other edge of the room. He sighed and let me up, earning an angry scoff from my end. Arcilia pressed her tail onto her husband's back and led him out of the door, leaving me and my love alone.

Vui stared at me. Her dark black eyes shimmered in the dimmed lights, making her seem to explode in radiant beauty. She stepped towards me slowly and raised her paw, about to strike me. But the hit never came. All I felt was a warm embrace wrap around my body.

"Xen...you promised me. You promised that you would never bail on me no matter what. I trusted you and you lied. How could you do that?" she said tearfully. My throat closed up. I had almost forgotten about that promise, and I had been explicit in my guarantees.

"Vui...you don't know what they were going to do to you and your parents. I never wanted to hurt you, but he would have killed you had I not run away. And I still need to go! You and your family won't be safe until I'm far away from here...do you understand?" I replied.

"Who? Your creepy old family friend? Please! That crazy old sod couldn't do anything to us with my dad's level." she scoffed.

I felt my heart sink. "That's exactly where you're wrong. He's killed people very dear to me. He'll do anything for money, no matter what the job is! I've seen him destroy a whole mansion full of Pokémon just for some coin. He's legally insane, Vui. He has no moral code whatsoever."

Her eyes narrowed. "How do you know so much about this guy? Surely you couldn't have been too close to him if your parents died when you were a child."

I bit my lip hard as I tried to avoid what I knew I had to say. "Vui...he's my godfather. I know him so well because he's legally responsible for me." my voice was barely above a whisper.

She looked up at me with huge saucer-like eyes, and I couldn't return the glance.

"Okay you two, we need to have...a...talk..." Surge's voice faltered as he and his wife entered the room again. In hindsight, it must have been a pretty hard sight for him to witness. His daughter was crying with her depressed boyfriend after a failed suicide attempt. He had just pinned the boy down and had enraged him so much, only now to see him so incredibly weak and vulnerable. He had even taunted the boy about his lineage and knocked him out unconscious when he was trying to save his family. And for it all to come around to this; an emotionally distraught Umbreon that only wanted to love and be safe.

"Xen-I...I mean...if we can...oh Arceus. Why him?" he choked. "Xen, I was wrong about you. You only wanted to save my family and now I've made you the enemy. I'm so incredibly sorry I can't even begin to express it."

I smiled feebly at him. "Thank you, sir. I'm sorry that I exploded on you like that, but I never hear that name anymore. When you said it...it brought back some unhappy memories. And a few good ones I'm not sure I was ready to remember."

Arcilia spoke up. "Xen...I'm a trained psychologist. Even though I'm not a Psychic type like Vui, I can still analyze people pretty well. Would you mind talking about your past a bit?"

I froze up, my breathing slowed, and I started to fidget. "U-Um...I'm not comfortable doing that..."

"Xen, when would be a better time to do it? You have people who care about you right here, you're fully rested, and we have plenty of time. At least try to relive a bit of it, please?" she asked slowly. Her words were soothing.

"Please. I think it would help a lot...and I'll be right here every second of it." Vui murmured. I smiled weakly, then gave a slight nod.

"Ok. I'll try." I whispered. Vui buried her face in my chest and sat down beside me. I felt slightly uncomfortable with her sitting in the crook of my body while her parents were watching but they seemed to be okay with it. They sat down in the same manner and watched me eagerly. I started to speak but my breath caught in my throat before I could utter a word. I tried again, but the words just wouldn't come out. I opened my mouth again, trembling slightly, but was met by Vui's warm maw against mine. She broke the kiss after a few seconds and smiled at me warmly. I smiled back and felt a rush of courage flood my body. I looked up confidently and started.

"I'll start with my childhood I guess. I lived in East Hoenn in my young years. I was an extremely happy kid with lots of friends and a loving family. My faster was a Jolteon named...Zeus, and my mother was a Vaporeon named Aries. They were the perfect couple, a flawless team in battle and in parenting. My father was the strict and kind father I needed as a reckless pup, and my mother was the calm and collected supporter that I needed when I was feeling down. I almost guarantee you have heard of my father at some point. Zeus Tsake owned the company ZTsake, which he started by himself. He specialized in jobs, particularly freelance spy missions and militaries for hire. Anyways, I lived a very luxurious life since the company was so outrageously profitable. He must have executed hundreds of hits using the services he provided. But all good things have to come to an end. One day we were on a walk in the countryside per my request, traversing along my favorite ravine in the area. I loved heights and the wind in my fur, so these special trips with my parents were like candy to me. I was only five, so I was around the stage of learning moves like Quick Attack or Growl. We had walked to the edge of the ravine and were standing on the highest peak when disaster struck. A freak earthquake shook the whole valley, making our place very dangerous. The rock had already started to crumble by the time they were running back with me being carried. The rock snapped. They...they knew we wouldn't make it. So they did the most heroic and amazing thing I've ever seen. I had seen my parents battle together before, but I had never witnessed them this passionate before. My father used Pound on the rock to catapult me and my mother far into the air. By now, we were easily a hundred feet away from the edge of the ravine. She gave me one last kiss while we were midair, then used Hydro Pump and launched me towards the edge. It was so painful because she was at least a level 87. My father used Volt Switch and was launched towards me as well when he swapped places with Aries. He flew up beside me and smiled, then mouthed something at me. I never heard what he said though. He spun in circles as we flew, then slammed an Iron Tail into my body, which rocketed me towards the edge. I was on the verge of fainting, even though they had held back a lot on their attacks. I managed to look back one more time at my family before the rocks consumed their bodies and I knew they were dead. They chose to save me that day, and that was that."

I looked up with watery eyes, not even aware that I had been crying, then broke down instantly. There was no end to the pain. The hell I had kept bottled up for 12 years was finally out.

After I couldn't cry anymore I looked up again, making eye contact with Vui's parents. What I saw next was totally unprecedented. Surge was staring at me with tears streaming down his face, with Arcilia in the same condition. He blinked heavily, then got up and gave me a hug. I was shocked. I hugged him back, then he backed off after a few seconds, wiping his eyes roughly.

"Xen...I knew your father. We had met on a business trip once where we became quick friends. He told me about you and I told him about Vui, but I didn't remember you until now. I was also familiar with his business, and I actually still own stock in it! The business is still running as well, so how is that working?" he asked.

I smiled at the odd coincidence and wondered why my father had never mentioned him to me. Then I replied to his question somewhat cautiously.

"Well I own the company. In my father's will he made it infinitely clear that only I could ever own his company, and he hired hundreds of lawyers and judges to validate the rule. It's completely watertight; no one else but me can own that company."

"Wait. You own ZTsake?! That company is worth millions!" Vui exclaimed. I chuckled.

"Not millions, Vui. Billions." I explained. Her eyes grew as wide as saucers.

"So why are you here?! You're the youngest billionaire in the world and you live in this quiet little village?!" she cried.

"I own the company, Vui. I'm not legally allowed to run it until I'm 18. Plus there is one catch. My godfather runs the company right now." I growled.

"Well who's your godfather? Is it someone we can speak to?" Arcilia asked. My face shifted from calm to angry in a heartbeat.

"Very funny. My godfather is the assassin I'm trying to keep away from you." I spat. Even mentioning him gave me a foul taste in my mouth.

"Wait, what?! Why him?" Surge asked tensely. I smiled grimly.

"Surge, my father's company is the most successful assassination service in the world. His right-hand man and most trusted hitter was his best friend. He was ruthless, and my father liked him that way. He was very trustworthy and obedient and caring, that is before my parents died. After they died, something clicked in him and he lost it. He grew power-hungry and only wanted to climb higher and higher. I was young and inexperienced, so he took control of the company's affairs, although I still maintained full control over the rights."

"Wow. And we can't just go ask him to step down because...?" Surge continued.

I sighed. "Like I said, he's crazy. I saw him stab another assassin because his shot on a target was off by a hair. He's a control freak. Even worse, I hated him. He paid no attention to me, only trying to get me to sign away my rights. I ran away that same year and was found by a Red Rescue Team, who took me in and cared for me. It was then I started to pretend to be mute. That way, no one asked questions about who I was or where I lived. I had fallen out of the system, although the rights to my company were still safe and sound. Like I said, there are no hidden clauses, no loopholes, nothing. If I died I would still own the company! That gives me some reassurance, to know that he can never have what's rightfully mine."

"Ok. I think I understand now. But where does my family becoming endangered fit in?" he insisted. I grimaced.

"The day I tried to kill myself, Jack Flarate threatened to hire an assassin because I was hurting his social status. I usually don't care, but when he mentioned my godfather I knew he was serious. He had no way of knowing I owned the company or that the assassin was family to me, but that was enough for me to be seriously scared for you guys. So I tried to sever all ties with you as quickly as I could but it didn't work out as well as it should have. I'm not sure whether to thank you for stopping me or be angry because you're all in danger now. My only option to save you all is to either kill myself, run away from here, kill the Flarate family and their allies, or confront my godfather in Hoenn. I'm going to be eighteen in a few weeks so I can claim rightful ownership to my company and there's nothing he can do about it. I don't like the first three options as much either so I think I need to stay in school at this stage and just suck up to Jack. Bullies like him just want power so that's what I'll give him. Once I turn 18 I can get out of here and reclaim what's mine." I explained. Surge looked at me with pride in his eyes.

"Your plans sound perfect if you can put up with Jack. By the way, I'm so sorry about your parents-"

"None of that is needed, sir. Sorry but I don't believe in people offering their feelings for dead people. I've heard it all so many times it's lost the appeal to me completely. Thanks for understanding." I said quickly. He nodded.

"So Xen, does that mean you'll be staying here?" Arcilia asked. Vui looked up at me hopefully.

"Well I suppose it does mean tha-**_ding dong_**" I said as I was interrupted by the doorbell.

Surge looked up curiously. "That's strange. I wasn't expecting any visitors today." he remarked.

"Wait. Something isn't right. It's not right...why isn't it right? Don't open the door." I hissed. I slunk towards the front door and used Psychic to feel around outside, I sensed one Pokemon outside holding something else that I couldn't feel. I placed my paw on the doorknob and twisted it, gasping quietly when I saw who it was.

"Y-You..."

Two small pricks of black blinked and their owner flashed a toothy smile. "Sup man. Uh... you don't exactly know me but I kinda guess we've met before."

I was slightly thrown aback. He talked in a really loose voice and didn't even seem slightly fazed by me at all.

"Right. You're one of Jack's cronies, correct?" I asked. He chucked slightly.

"Nah man. I just hang with him cause my pompous-ass father expects me to. In all honesty I hate him and what he does for fun. So can I come in?" he shot back.

I laughed along with him. "Huh. I knew I felt something different when you looked at me back when I was being given the death stares. But this isn't my place, it's owned by-"

"-me." Surge said in a deep voice. I hadn't even heard him come up. "Hold on a second! Are you Pryce's boy?"

The visitor, who I now recognized as a Weavile, smiled jauntily. "Yep, I'm Alex Kuniki. I met you at the meet-and-greet at my old man's place. Good to see you again!"

I looked at Alex curiously. He talked in a respectful tone, but he managed to make everything seem like it wasn't a big deal.

"Ah right! Your father owns the mining company in the North! Now enough chitchat, what brings you by here?" Surge asked. I vaguely remembered the name Kuniki and the net worth of the company, somewhere in the hundreds of millions of P.

"Well I came here to see him. My friend Jack roughed him up yesterday afternoon and I wanted to make sure that he was okay. I assume you know Jared?" he replied cooly.

Surge's eyes darkened. "Ah yes. That waste of space. Jack is his son?"

Alex nodded. "Yeah and he;s just as bad as his dad. I heard a rumor that he was staying here so I figured I'd pop in and check up. Thanks for having me!" he remarked, then turned on his heels and walked away. After he reached the bottom of the steps he turned around again.

"Oh by the way Xen, if you see me at school tomorrow come over and sit with us. I hang out with a bunch of pretty cool people and I think they'd like you. They're all rich pricks as well but they're loads of fun once they deem you as acceptable. Even though you're not rich or anything I'm sure they won't care. Catch ya later!" he called, then walked away into the black night.

_Not rich or anything...if only you knew kid, if only you knew._

I closed the door and pinched the bridge of my nose. So much had happened in the past few days it was hard to believe, but even worse was I still had more to tell Vui and her family.

"Ok...I think I'm ready to go on." I said. Surge nodded in response.

"If you want to go on. You know that you can stop whenever you want, right? We won't force you to say anything you don't want to." he said.

I gave him a faint smile. "No I'm fine. It's so incredibly painful but slightly soothing to hear it again. It reminds me of who I am, y'know?" I assured him. He smiled and let me lead the way back to Vui and my bedroom.

"Hey, who was that?" Vui asked as I walked into the dimly lit room.

I shrugged. "A...friend." I said. The words left a good feeling in my head. I had a friend. And he wanted to introduce me to his friends.

She looked at me curiously then seemed to lose interest. Her eyes glinted expectantly and I complied, nestling her against my side once again. She purred warmly and laid her head onto my chest.

"So what happened next?" she asked, somewhat excitedly. Surge narrowed his eyes at her and shook his head, signaling that they were supposed to wait for me to start.

I dismissed him cheerfully. "No harm done. So...after I was rescued by the Red Rescue Team I was effectively an orphan. I didn't tell anyone where I came from in fear of being sent back to my godfather's home. So I stayed a refugee for many months, spending my days with a male Leafeon named 'Ota'. Ota was the one that had first found me, the captain of the team, and in my time of need I looked onto him as a father figure. He was a lot like my late father in that sense, with his unparalleled bravery and cunning but a soft side. A side that showed who he really was. He taught me about the world. I learned all about Berries, healing, flora and fauna, and even survival skills. I was his apprentice, and one day I had hoped to have been his succeeder in his job. Then I hurt another one that belonged to me. One day he was trying to teach me the move 'Feint Attack' and I was failing miserably. He was very patient and told me to take as much time as I needed. On one of my final tries I finally tapped into the speed needed for the move, but I was unable to control it. I slammed into a tall tree and it snapped, ready to collapse onto me in a second."

I stopped briefly and felt my body shiver in horror. The fear I had felt then was indescribable. I had known I was going to die. Vui looked up and brushed her lips against mine, willing me to on.

"I-I heard Ota yell at me to get out of the way, but I was paralyzed. I couldn't will my muscles to move. As the tree was inches away from my nose, I was suddenly pushed aside. My whole body was catapulted away from the tree, and I was safe. But then I heard the most sickening sound I've ever heard, even to this day. Multiple pops and snaps filled my head, along with a yowl of pain from my beloved friend's lungs. I spun around and saw him, completely crushed by the tree that I had caused to fall. He beckoned me over to him, then whispered a short line to me.

'That was a perfect Feint Attack, son. Take care of yourself...'

And then he was dead. I stayed by his side all night, too shocked to even cry. The last thing I felt that night was a mind-numbing sense of horror. When I woke up the next morning the Rescue Team had found us. But they didn't recognize me. I was no longer the cheerful Eevee that they had known and played with. I was an Umbreon. Twice I had loved and twice I had it snatched away from me. Somehow my grief had turned me into this evolution, although no one knew how. After all, happiness was supposed to make me evolve into one of those types."

"They sent me away to the orphanage here after a while. I wouldn't eat, sleep, or even talk to anyone anymore and they didn't know what else to do. I hated the new place even more than my godfather's, since no one gave a damn about me. I used to be scared of the dark, so the owner slapped me and told me not to. I was skinny and quiet so all of the other kids beat me up. I took the matter up with the council when I was fourteen years old, and they agreed to let me live alone. No one noticed me leave. I was a stain, a mark on their record books. And that was that. I was suddenly one hundred percent alone. So I devoted myself to school, making that my one thing. My one escape from the hell I was raised in. Just last summer I got involved with some bad people and did less than satisfactory things, which I don't want to share right now. And that's it. The story of my fucked-up life."

I stood up and stretched, then walked over to the window and peered out. The moon had already risen and begun to dip again. It was well past midnight. Almost as if reading my mine, Arcilia came up and laid a paw on my shoulder, causing me to flinch. No matter how many times people touched me, I knew I would probably always recoil because of what had been caused by hands on my body.

"Sorry. I haven't said much to you about loss or grieving, but I lost my parents at a young age as well. I know what it's like to lose people you love very dearly. And I can only tell you that you're doing a fantastic job. I would not have made it if what happened to you happened to me, and I would honestly have died from the emotional stress. You're a trooper, Xen. And I'm proud of you. My husband and I are going to leave you two alone now. I think you need some comforting and she can definitely try to help." she said soothingly. Then she moved close to my ear and whispered something else.

"Just keep it appropriate, alright? You know what I mean." and then she was walking away, herding Surge out of the room. I sighed and slumped onto the waterbed.

"Well that was something else." I muttered. "I had never thought that I was going to tell that story as long as I lived. Then again, I was about to die last night so I guess a lot of things are happening." My head fell into my paws.

Something got quite close to my face all of a sudden. I looked up and saw Vui perched over me with teary eyes and a sad look on her face.

"Don't talk about it like that. You know how scary it was for me when I thought I lost you. You felt the same way when you saw Ota. That's how I felt. Please never do anything like that again, because I would rather die with you than live alone." she whimpered.

A swallowed hard. "I hadn't even thought about it like that. I really am sorry for acting so cowardly and selfish. But Vui...you don't feel that way. Living alone wouldn't-"

I stopped as fresh tears hit my cheeks. But I wasn't crying, Vui was.

"Don't you DARE tell me how I feel about us. If you died I promise I wouldn't want to live. I know it's sudden and crazy because we've only known each other for such a short time, but you mean the world to me. So stop worrying about us dying and being killed and enjoy what you have here and now. I'm not some genius like you are, but I know that you need to treasure what you have. Don't spend your whole life running away from everything either. We love you here and you've found a place where you belong. Don't risk it all just because you're scared of a creepy old dude hunting us down." she retorted.

I was dumbstruck. She had never talked this way before. I opened my mouth to reinforce how strong he was but she beat me to it.

"Shut up. He may be worlds stronger and more talented, but you'll always win a battle against him. Wanna know why? Because you're fighting for what's right. You want to protect us and you're willing to risk your life for what you believe. He's doing it for greed and bloodlust. That's why I know you're stronger. You may not be physically stronger, but you have a motive that actually fucking matters. So stop putting yourself down, get your head out of the sand, and let's face this together. Got it?"

I stared at her in amazement. I didn't even know she had this side to her, let alone that I would ever see it. I cupped her head in my paws and pulled her close, licking the salty tears off of her face.

"Wow. I've never heard it like that before. I should never have judged you either, and I'm awfully sorry for that. But I can't just keep your family in constant danger, even if I have the right motives. I'm no match for him! He's a level 100 for Arceus' sake!" I exclaimed.

She scoffed. "So? You took on my level 97 dad no problem at all."

I sighed again. "But that was only because I was protecting you!"

Her eyes narrowed. "Xen. You just proved my point correct. You felt the need to fight more because I was in danger. If you did that for my whole family, with us fighting with you, we couldn't lose!"

"You actually have a point. If we were all focused and determined we might have a fighting chance. It's quite plausible." I admitted.

She cocked her head curiously. "By the way, where did you learn to fight? If you could hold off my dad and even deal damage to him, then you must be pretty good. You destroyed all of the others who were messing with us at school as well, again telling me that you're a very proficient fighter and defender."

My mouth turned as dry as a Sandshrew's back. "I don't feel comfortable telling you right now...if that's okay. Maybe some other time." I said lowly.

She nodded and clambered over me to lay next to me. I smiled and pulled her close to me, making her giggle.

"You're so crazy good at making me feel amazing. How do you know about all of this stuff?" Vui asked as I planted a warm kiss onto her cheek.

"I just do what I think you'll like. I seem to get lucky quite often, don't I?" I teased, earning a light slap across my face. I grinned and nipped her neck quickly, Vui squeaking at the ticklish action.

"Stop that! You're gonna make me wake up my parents..." she whispered.

"Well then lets make sure you don't make any noise!" I murmured, pressing my lips against hers and locking her in a passionate kiss. She smiled and wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me in deeper. We broke off and stared deep into each other's eyes.

"I love you." she said suddenly. I felt my breath catch in my throat and smiled.

"I love you too. I promise." I replied. She smirked and pecked me on the lips once more, then buried her head in my chest fur and began to fall asleep. I smiled down at her and rested my chin on top of her head, then drifted off into sleep as well.

_I wonder if I can be like...him. Maybe. Just maybe._

* * *

**Reviews? I think yes c;**

VoreMistress- **Thanks! Yeah, the suicide scene was very descriptive in Chap 3. In all honesty I didn't mean to take it that far but I just wanted to write more and more to see how descriptive I could really get it! Well y'know depression hits everyone at some point and I was unlucky and got hit pretty hard back in high school. The whole chapter felt a bit extreme to me, but I loved to write it so I was pretty pleased with it! Emotions are hard to get on point aren't they? Thanks for the great honest feedback!**

Umbreon2098- **Well I deleted a whole chapter once and didn't save...so I feel ya man. I'm glad I could tug at the heart strings a bit too c; and thanks for the kind words as well! Your support has been amazing all of my stories, so thank you. Go SUPER SAIYAN! XD**

Ten-X Legacy- **Yes. Very sad. Much emotion. Such feels. Cx I shuddered at that grammar error...I'm going to go cry in a corner now ;~; and yep, more on the assassin coming in later chapter as well ;) the backstories are so fun to write lol...**

Hunter the Weavile- **Thanks! I hope you like how your OC turned out as well dude! I think he'll be great and a ton of fun to write! :D **

Spark- **Cool dude! You don't need a profile haha, we're all anons here anyways :) I'm glad you like my works and the different storylines as well, so thanks again! :D**

Visible Man- **Hehe you're really gonna hate me now cx only a few min before 12 here. And a day late. Well I'm sure the best writer there ever was! Lol what's a deadline? xD**

PokeGamma54- **A very good point, which I may or may not have corrected here. I'm the dude who mixes up my OCs between stories so we'll see how I do this time lol. Thanks for the advice!**

Orenji Splash- **I like to think I'm decent at the emotional scenes as well haha. They're definitely hard to write, but very helpful to a story IMO. Glad ya like it! And hopefully I answered all of your questions with the backstories here hehe c;**

derpyinfernape- **That's what I was going for haha! And yes, fuck me xD I'm a blessing and curse aren't I? XP**

Quest Aurora- **POCKY FOR EVERYONE! Even better cause I'm writing this while snacking on Pocky...lol. It's probably not very good for me haha. Oh well, it's not like I care xD Plus I'm actually underweight. Resolution: eat more Pocky. Seems legit c:**

dusk5261- **Hehe I'll let y'all know what the assassin is soon. But it'll be badass either way (spoiler: he's not a Flareon...sorry...)**

WeedForEveryone- **I like the ideas, but this is a Pokémon only story :/ I'm keeping all of the characters Pokémon-influenced and not anything else. Also, the best part is that the only Umbreon in the forest. If two more suddenly showed up then i wouldn't be able to use the village in the same way I am...but I really do like the ideas! Maybe in another story.. C;**

Guest- **Oh. Well y'know don't do anything illegal...but I'll be on the lookout! I have a suspicion on who you are but I'll keep that to myself cause I'm probably wrong lol. Talk to you in a couple days!**

**Well great feedback guys! Also, the favs and follows on the story is absolutely ridiculous! You all rock this world and the PokéUniverse! Remember, my chapters will be coming out slower, more like when I can upload, but I'll be uploading another story this weekend to make up for it. I think you all are really gonna like this new one ;) Have a great week and as always, take care.**

**-Shade**


	5. Chapter 5: Barriers

**Ayeee everybody! I updated my other story and decided that this one was due for an update as well...so here we are! Ah I love to update stories...just wish I could do it more often.**

**I believe a small apology is in order. I was writing this chapter and found out that I never actually wrote Xen's fake identity down until this chapter, it was in my head but not on the screen. So Xen's real name is "Xen Tasake" but his fake name (the one he uses in the forest) is "Xen Jiranga." I've had a ton of requests asking what "Tasake" and "Kuniki" mean, but I'll let you find that out on your own.**

**Xen- Oh please. Don't listen to him, the last names mean nothing in Japanese. He makes them all up.**

**Writer- ...or you could tell them. But it's true, I just type random letters until I find a name that I like xD I think they sound pretty cool though! :D**

**Xen- You wish...**

**Writer- ;_; m-moving right along...**

**This chapter is gonna set up the next one really well and the story is finally settling into the true plot! Which is quite amazing, if I do say so myself c; A huge thanks to Hunter the Weavile for his continuous support and ideas for this story as well! I did make this chapter longer by almost a thousand words simply because I couldn't see myself splitting up the events and stopping the action from really starting up any more. You guys crushed the reviews on the last chapter of this that I uploaded which is pretty damn amazing c: I hope you all enjoy this chapter and as always, take care.**

**-Shade**

**One last thing, I'm looking at the support on these stories and it's absolutely fantastic, so I feel like I should give something else back to you guys. I have a poll up on my profile page for a new story idea, and whichever gets the most upvotes is what I'll write about. Additionally, if you have an idea that I haven't listed there, feel free to PM me and let me know so I can update the poll. I think I'll keep it up for a week or two so everyone gets a chance to get their ideas in and no one is left behind c: Check it out if you have an idea or would like to vote! Much love :3**

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_Beep beep beep beep beep beep _

I sat bolt upright. My eyes were filled with tears and my heart thumped in my chest at a rapid pace. I swiveled my head slowly to the right and I examined the source of the beeping: Vui's alarm clock.

_Oh Arceus, that sounded just like the heart monitor that Surge had hooked up to me not even a day ago. I need to get my shit together, if Vui sees me like this she'll know that something is wrong- _

My thoughts were interrupted by a set of lips pressed loosely against mine. My eyes snapped open and I looked at Vui, who was now sitting on top of me, looking quite pleased with herself.

"Good morning, handsome." She purred, nuzzling my cheek warmly. "How did you sleep?"

I shook my head slightly and rubbed my wet eyes, hoping that she hadn't noticed the tears. "Not too great, I had a few...less than pleasant nightmares. I'm fine now though!" I added, which wiped the worry out of her expression.

She smiled. "That's about as good as it can get after what happened over the past few days I guess. Speaking of that, we need to get ready!" she exclaimed, hopping out of the bed and rushing into the bathroom.

I followed her and leaned against the doorway quizzically. "Um...do you mind if I ask why?"

She eyed me like I was crazy. "Babe, it's Friday. We have school?"

My face dropped. _School. _How many days had I missed? I was there for the first two days, but I was absent for the next one? There was no school on Wednesdays anymore...but that was still a lot.

"Oh no, I've been there for only 66.6 percent so far! That's going to show up on my record and- " I stammered, sinking to the floor. "Everyone is bound to know that something's happened now! I've never missed a day of school in my life!"

She chucked. "Arceus, you rich kids are so melodramatic! My dad called you in as sick, all of it's excused. However, you will have a bit of work to catch up on, so I hope that you're ready for that to come."

I gently pressed my paw to her back. "I don't mind you saying it here, but you cannot call me 'rich' at school, okay? I have to act like I always do, or I'll be found out. Understand?"

She sighed. "Right. Sorry, it's just a big shock to find out that your boyfriend is a thousand times richer than you are, even though he acts like a goddamn peasant!"

"Vui, I don't exactly have a choice. If I told everyone who I was then I would be dragged back to my homeland and returned to my uncle, who would make my life a living hell for leaving. He's already angry enough that he can never own the company, even if I die. It's just something that I have to do even though I may not want to. I'd much rather act low and be treated like trash than be in my uncle's custody."

She sighed again and wrapped her arms around my neck. "I know...I just wish that we could be together with no acting or fake identities. I'm sorry that I said that, I haven't even tried to comfort you about your parent's death..."

I shook my head and nuzzled her neck warmly. "You being here is all the comfort I'll ever want or need, understand?"

She bit her lip and grinned, then brought my face close to hers and wrapped her lips around mine. We were so into each other that we barely even heard the loud _ahem _at the door.

I broke away and stared blankly at Surge, who was leaning on the threshold and smiling.

"Ah good, you guys are already brushing your teeth, although it is in an awfully strange manner...oh well. Breakfast is ready when you two are, and get to school on time! Your mother and I are going shopping so you two will have the house to yourselves for a few hours after school." He grinned and then walked away, leaving Vui and I to blush at each other and laugh weakly.

He poked his head back in the door. "And Xen? You're probably more trustworthy than Vui, so promise me you'll keep your activities...somewhat clean. Don't do anything you wouldn't do if we weren't at home. Bye!" and he was gone.

Vui looked at me and I chuckled. "Yeah, let's follow that rule. What's for breakfast?" I responded, and her eyes glinted for a split second.

"I think you'll like it...everyone else who eats with my parents always compliment the spreads. Let's go see!" She exclaimed and dragged me out to the dining area.

"Holy-this is enough food to feed an army! Where do your parents get all of this food, and who do they expect to eat it all?!" I cried as I saw the plates, platters, and dishes full of breakfast foods.

She smiled. "Like it? They like to do charity work so everything that we don't eat goes to the homeless. It may seem like we're giving them scraps, but this feeds us, the servants, and pretty much anyone that decides to stop in. Still, the homeless end up with a ton of food even after everyone else is done!"

I smiled. "That's amazing. My parents liked to donate stuff as well, especially old toys and money. The toys being from me of course!"

She smiled and looked at the clock. "Oh FUCK! We're late! Come on, we gotta hurry!"

I felt my arm being wrenched out of its socket as I was dragged away from the delectable treats in front of me. The butlers eyed me sadly as I was whisked away and sat down to eat their meals.

I sighed and opened the huge double doors leading to their front yard. "Alright, alright, let's get going then...but we have to stay and enjoy dinner, promise?"

She laughed and nodded, then took off towards the school. I followed in close pursuit, trying not to move too quickly. She still didn't know my max speed and I didn't plan on letting her know if I didn't have to.

No such luck. "Hey I'll race ya! Whoever wins...gets to make the other do whatever they want!" she said sneakily.

I shook my head. "Uh uh. I promised your dad that I would keep our relationship clean. And you, my dear, don't have a clean mind." I grinned as I tapped her forehead with my paw.

Her lip poked out sadly and her eyes grew teary. I felt bad for a second, then saw that she was biting her lip ever so slightly.

"Nice try, but I know you're faking. Next time, don't bite your lip." I murmured, brushing her lips against mine. "That's my job." My voice rumbled softly.

"Fuck you..." She whispered between kisses.  
"Ah ah ah, your dad said no." I chuckled as she let out an exasperated sigh.

"Fine. Okay you stud, so what are we doing today? Are you going to pull some mute shit or are we a normal couple now?" She smirked.

I stopped and stared her in the eyes. "Stop that. I don't think you know what it's like to be hated by everyone in the school. You got a taste of it when they b-beat you, and I will not let that happen again. But I was mute for a reason, and you know why. We are going to be approached today and you HAVE to stop acting so cocky until they can beat me down again. Please, just hold it in for today."

Her eyes welled up with tears, except she wasn't biting her lip this time. "Why does it have to be like this?"

"Because I love you and I won't let you be hurt again. Just do this for us." I coaxed.

She wiped her eyes and sighed. "Yeah, I'm sorry for being such a fucking mess, I just hate how people like you are excluded from normal life. It's just not fair!"

I pressed my lips to her forehead. "Life isn't fair, although it does throw a few miracles every once in a while. How else do you think I got you? Pure luck."

"You have to stop doing that...I swear I fall in love with you all over again when you say stuff like that. Let's hurry up and go to the school, we've made some good time and shouldn't be late." Vui remarked. I nodded and we kept walking.

"Okay, we're almost getting ready to enter the school." I said a few minutes later. "Remember, keep your head down and your spirit lower. That's how I survived." I whispered.

Vui pursed her lips, but stayed silent. I nuzzled her neck one last time and pressed her body close to mine. "Stay strong. I know you can do it."

We walked through the door. And all hell broke loose. Within a second, the sound was just killed off. Every single pair of eyes slowly swiveled our way and locked onto us with pure hatred.

I nudged Vui gently with my tail and willed her to walk forward. We started down the hall, trying to keep to ourselves as much as possible. But that wasn't going to go over smoothly.

"Hey freak. Don't drag the girl into your fucked up life. She doesn't even like you!" Someone beside me said. I felt Vui tense up beside me and I quickly tapped her with my tail again. She let a shaky breath out, but managed to keep walking without slapping him.

"Hey! Freak!" Another voice called to me. I kept walking and didn't even look at her. Bad choice.

"YO! FREAK! I said something to you! TALK BACK!" She yelled, slapping me with a furry paw. I grimaced at the small sting, but never lifted my eyes off of the ground.

I heard her snort in contempt. "Just like I thought. Once a freak, ALWAYS. A. Freak." Which earned a barrage of jeers and laughter from all of the other students. Including a small noise from Vui that I had never heard before.

Hate.

"LISTEN TO ME, YOU JUMPED UP, INBRED, WHORE OF A POKÉMON! XEN IS JUST LIKE ALL OF YOU AND IF YOU THINK THAT YOU'RE BEING SMART OR CLEVER BY DOING THIS, THEN YOU ALL CAN JUST GO-"

The room went silent. I shook my head in disgust and drew my paw back from Vui's face. Never in my life had I thought I would have to lay a paw on her, but she needed to stop now before our lives were ruined forever.

I grabbed her roughly by the scruff of her neck and stared into her eyes.

"I thought I could trust you. I tell you not to make a scene and you make a fucking scene. Are you happy now? You need a lot more than a slap to get something into your head. My. Life. Sucks. If you can't understand that, then leave so you aren't hurt because of me. I'll see you in class." I whispered and walked towards the Physics classroom.

"Oh, and if any of you think of messing with her, then ask Jack what happened when he did."

I entered the classroom and left the dumbfounded Espeon in the hallway to watch me along with all of the other students, who didn't say another word.

"Xen?"

"What?" I retorted angrily. Professor Al looked at me strangely and held up a small piece of paper.

"Roll call. Are you feeling alright?" He asked. I rubbed my eyes and nodded. He nodded back and started his lesson.

I glanced over at Vui and watched her. She was sitting in the desk next to me and was about as emotionless as I was, although she eyed me angrily when I looked her way.

"Xen? How about you solve this one for us, since you're so interested in this lesson." Prof. Al said in a slightly annoyed manner. I glanced up at the board lazily and smiled.

"Sure thing. This is a typical ratio to distance problem. The catch is the units are in different universal solvents so you have to re-convert them at the start and re-work it. I would recommend using Kelvins and Mass so that can be rounded to the thousandth instead of the hundredth. X would be 43.276 K/M." I rattled off.

Prof. Al looked at me in amazement and eyed the problem again.  
"Xen, I haven't even taught that yet! How the-who taught you that!?" He exclaimed.

"I'm self taught. Part of the reason why the lesson isn't very engaging to me. Sorry for not paying attention sir, I'll do better from now on." I said.

"Freak..." Someone muttered, earning a few snickers from the class. Prof. Al looked at me quickly and I shook my head, indicating that it wasn't worth the time or effort.

"Well. That was enlightening. Too bad some students are still in the Dark Ages." He said, eyeing the cause of the comment.

"Anyways, yes. What Xen just used was called the..." His voice faded away as I groaned internally. Just once it would be nice if someone else showed some support to me besides teachers.

A furry tail touched my arm. I looked over to Vui but she was taking notes furiously, scribbling down anything that the professor said that might be on the test. I looked to my right and was met by a pair of black eyes surrounded by a purple veil.

The eyes glinted in awe. "That was incredible! I haven't heard of anyone using Thornson's Theorem to solve a problem like that! I've been using Archway's methods but your way makes so much more sense. How did you come up with it?"

I smiled nervously. "Um...I just thought it would be easier to do. How did you- I'm sorry, I just don't see many girls our age interested in experimental theorems!"

I examined the girl more closely. She was a Delcatty, with a brilliant purple veil and creamy- colored fur. She wore a dark pair of glasses, which I assumed were for her vision.

"Yeah, and I don't see many guys who can use physics at a higher level than our teachers!" She smirked, then extended a paw to me. "Pleased to meet you. I believe we did this in the wrong order."

I chuckled. "Xen. And you are?"

"Cera. Don't worry, I know who you are. Kind of hard to not know who the only Umbreon in the forest is." Her crisp voice snapped.

"Well it's good to meet you, Cera. Maybe we can talk about science more sometime? I'm sure I know a few things about it that you don't." I winked.

"Okay then, Cera! What would Y be in this equation?" Prof. Al asked, now visibly upset that his students weren't listening.

Cera didn't even break her gaze with me. "Y is 38.43, G would be the cubed root of that: 3.375."

Prof. Al's chalk snapped. "W-well...yes. I hadn't even gotten to G yet! Do I even need to teach you two?"

"Yeah, that would be helpful. Sorry sir, she was proving a point to me. It won't happen again." I assured him.

He massaged the bridge of his nose. "I would get mad but I really can't because the answers you're giving me are right. Um...okay."

Everyone turned and scowled at us, but stayed silent. Cera stuck her tongue out at me and chuckled softly. I smiled and looked back at Prof. Al; if I bothered him any more I might be meeting with Biggs. Not a good start to my first day back.

I heard a small scoff from Vui beside me, and when I turned to look at her she eyed me in disbelief. I waited for her to say something else, but she just looked away from me again.

_What did I do now? I hope she isn't too pissed at me for hitting her...damn it. If I didn't stop her...they would probably have beat her again. Maybe now she'll be safe. I don't know how safe I am though... _

_Ding ding ding ding ding _

The students sighed and bolted out of the room, leaving me, Vui, Cera, and the professor in the room.

"Okay, scram. You guys are good kids but it's my planning period, and I need some rest. I'll see you tomorrow." He sighed, then collapsed in his chair and closed his eyes.

Cera tapped me on the shoulder. "I'd like to talk about those things later! Maybe at lunch today?"

"Um...I'm sitting with Alex, the Weavile, at lunch today, but you're more than welcome to meet up with me during study hall! Vui and I will be at...where will we be?" I asked, turning around to face her.

But Vui was already gone.

_Fuck. _"Sorry about that. We'll be at a table in the library. You should be able to find us, I'm kind of hard to miss, aren't I? Just look for the table no one else is sitting at." I joked.

Cera smiled and nodded, then left the room. I followed her and started in the direction of the gym.

"OKAY EVERYONE, WE'RE STARTING A NEW LESSON TODAY! WE'LL BE PLAYING DODGE BALL! YOU'LL BE CHOOSING YOUR TEAMS WITHOUT MY HELP, SO DO WHATEVER YOU WANT!" Coach Bruno screamed.

I groaned. Of course it would be teams today. I glanced over at Vui, already working out how to protect her from the rest of the class.

But she wasn't there.  
"OOOOOH! Mrs. Freak herself is on our team? How about that, Mr. Freak?!" The class jeered.

I looked at her in disbelief. She turned away and moved to the back of the group, away from my eyes.

I grimaced. _Wow. That's a slap to the face...revenge for what I did I guess. Fuck, well, who else is the odd one out? _

I looked around me. There were three other students that were nervously looking at their feet, then at me, then at their feet again

"Oi! You three! Get over on our team NOW!" Oraq, the kid who beat me up the first day, called. They looked at me for a few seconds, then shook their heads at the other team.

He laughed and the rest of their team did as well. "What are you talking about? Would you rather be in HIS team or on OURS?"

They looked at me and nodded. I nodded back and stared at Oraq. He grew red in the face and grunted angrily.

"Oh you're all going to regret this, you fuck-ups." He hissed, then turned and went to talk to his team.

I walked over to my three teammates. "What the hell are you guys doing?! It would have been so much easier if you just did what he wanted!"

A male Vigoroth chuckled. "Yeah right. Xen, you taught us a lot about bravery lately. We're all social outcasts as well, except we're hated for who we are, not what we are. You standing up for Vui and taking that beating from Oraq like a pro was absolutely epic. And it made us realize that being loners was fine to be us, because society is always going to exclude people."

"And we'll be damned if we let a stupid rumor about Umbreon keep ruining you with no one to back you up. We can't help much, but we do support you." A female Glameow purred.

"Yeah." The last member of our team, a male Tangela, agreed.

I smiled slightly. "Well fuck. Thanks, you guys have no idea how much this means to me right now, especially since Vui kind of ditched me."

The Glameow frowned. "Yeah, slapping her wasn't a good idea. But it seemed like you had a damn good reason so we already agreed not to mess with it. Now how the fuck are we going to survive this?"

"That's a good question. Since you know about my faking on the first day, you probably also know that I don't fight back much. But since you guys are here now...I can't just quit. All of you get as many people out as you can and if you get out...then leave the rest to me."

They nodded enthusiastically. "We've seen you in action man, and you have our complete trust. We know we'll get out early though, so give 'em hell for us!" The Tangela smirked.

"I will. I promise you guys that I will give you my all, no matter what it takes." I said.

"OKAY IT LOOKS LIKE THE TEAMS ARE PICKED. AREN'T THEY A BIT OFF THOUGH?" The coach yelled.

Oraq looked at me and grinned. "Nope. They're just like we want them."

"OKAY THEN! LET'S GET THIS STARTED! GO!" He roared, tossing around fifteen balls into the center of the court.

And all hell broke loose.

All of the jocks sprinted forward and grabbed the balls and rocketed them down the court. The Tangela stretched a vine out and caught every single one of them, tossing them to us after a second of triumph. The Glameow pressed the ball into her curled up tail and let it loose at a breakneck speed, making all of the other team jump out of the way. Unfortunately, one didn't manage to jump away in time.

I groaned. _Vui. It just had to be Vui, didn't it? _Her eyes went wide as the ball crashed into her face at full speed.

"OUT! GET OUT OF THERE!" The coach yelled, and Vui walked away with a slightly red face. I mouthed 'sorry' at her and a smile tugged at the corner of her face.

_Oh thank Arceus. At least she doesn't hate me anymore. Now to win this thing. _

I caught a ball that was speeding towards my face and threw it back at the team, hitting two of them at once. Their jaws dropped as they walked into the sidelines to watch the game.

"OUT, I THINK?" The coach hollered.

"Ah, you guys haven't seen _anything _yet." I said softly.

I grabbed another two balls and slammed them into two more opponents, earning a few cheers from my team. A ball flew towards the Vigoroth and I sped in front of it to punch it back. It flew away and crashed into someone else.

"WHAT THE HELL?! HOW DID YOU MOVE THAT FAST?!" Oraq cried.

"Xen, how DID you move that fast?" Vigoroth asked in disbelief.

"Well y'know...uh...luck?" I offered. He raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

"WATCH OUT!" The Glameow yelled. I looked up and saw eleven balls speeding towards all of the team.

There was no time to protect all of them. I caught three of them but I wasn't fast enough. They all slammed into my teammates, leaving me alone on the field.

"Sorry Xen. There's no way you can win it now..." They said sadly.

I looked at the other team. Around twenty of them were still there, half of them some of the best students in the class.

"No, there isn't much hope. But I promised I would try. And I will." I said.

"HURRY IT UP LADIES! WE DON'T HAVE ALL DAY TO CHIT CHAT!" The coach bellowed impatiently.

The balls started flying. Two to the left, three on the right, four right down the center. I smiled and crouched down.

_No time to catch 'em all now. _

I slammed my paw into the first two balls and catapulted them back. My face was almost skimmed by the four in the center but I was able to bend back and dodge them. The three on the right came dangerously close to me, but a lucky push from my tail launched me out of their range. I bounced up and smiled at the other team, who were watching me in disbelief.

"COME ON XEN! STOP DICKING AROUND AND FUCK THEM UP!" Vui screamed at the top of her lungs. I looked at her and smiled.

_Ah...it's good to know that the real Vui is back... _

I stopped and shrugged at the other team. "Sorry guys. You heard the lady!"

They threw more balls but I was in the zone. I corkscrewed in the air and pounded them all away, each one finding their target. As soon as I touched the ground I jumped forward and snatched two more balls up from the ground, flinging them towards more enemies. Every ball that came my way was hit back with devastating force; no stop to this onslaught that was well overdue.

I came to a stop and smirked.

_Who thought nineteen enemies would be so easy to take down? Maybe I've inherited some of that assassin blood that my father had... _

"Just you and me left. What are you gonna do?" I asked. Oraq looked at me in amazement.

"How the- for the love of Arceus! Who are you?" He exclaimed.

I smirked. "Just a freak. A really talented freak."

He frowned and dropped the ball he was holding. "Well I give up. I know I'm out anyways so there's no point in going on."'

I eyes him curiously. "If you insist. Good game man."

I started to walk away and felt a sharp sting on my back. The whole world just slowed down. I swiveled around and saw the ball that had bounced off of my back still falling towards the ground. Oraq was laughing along with the rest of his team in the sidelines at the trick he had pulled on me.

_Not today. This is the day here there are no regrets. I haven't tried this in a while...let's see how fast I can really go. _

I took a deep breath in and accelerated to my top speed. In less than a second I reached the ball that was inches away from touching the ground, which would count me as out if it did hit the ground. Without even slowing down, I slapped the ball with my tail and sent it flying directly towards his chest. It was a direct hit, but since I didn't slow down or even touch the ground, all of the power from my speed transferred to the ball. When it hit his chest, he was flung across the gym and slammed into the back wall.

All was quiet. Every single pair of eyes was trained onto me in awe, waiting for what I had to say.

"Huh. I think that plan backfired on you just a tad."

And with that I brushed myself off and walked over to him. I held out my paw to him, which he looked at in obvious pain.

I sighed. "Look, you prick. I'm not okay with how you treated me and you're sure as hell not forgiven. But if I leave you like this then I'm no better than you are. Just take the help."

He grimaced again but tentatively grabbed my outstretched paw. I smiled and pulled him up, and he muttered something that sounded like 'thanks' before walking off.

_Ding ding ding ding ding _

The bell rang and I was mobbed by my old teammates and Vui, who latched onto my back and showered me with praise.

"YOU WERE AMAZING!" She cried. "Hey. I'm...ah...sorry. I was just so mad that you had slapped me and then you talked with another girl and I guess I got jealous. It was pretty damn stupid of me." She said in a softer tone.

I nuzzled her neck warmly. "I should be the only one apologizing. I had no right to hit you, even if you were getting close to revealing you-know-what. And Cera is just a friend, I promise. You should know that you're the only girl I'll ever have eyes for."

"_Ahem. _Sorry to interrupt, but we just want to say thanks. That was incredible and you never gave up. It's just amazing. We'll see you around!" The Glameow purred.

"See you later!" I said, turning my attention back to my beautiful girlfriend who was still on top of me.

Had I been paying more attention I may have noticed my 'team' turn away from the locker rooms and walk straight out of the door and off of the campus. Nor had I seen the small, clear wire snaking up the Tangela's side that connected to his ear. Or the words he said that would change my life forever.

"It's him."

"Yo! Xen! Over here!"  
I turned my head and smiled. Alex had saved a seat for me and Vui to sit at the "rich" table.

"You know this is a joke, right? You should be the head of this fucking table, not a piece of charity work..." Vui whispered.

I poked her side playfully. "Chill out! You actually have a place here, 'Ms. Dad-Is-Red's-Jolten'!" She stared at me seductively and bit her lower lip. "I prefer Mrs. Tasake." She purred.  
I brushed her cheek softly. "Mrs. Tasake was my mother."  
"How about Mrs. Xen Tasake?" She murmured.

"Perfect." I hummed. We walked over to Alex and his friends and sat down. "Hey." I said, looking at the three other students there.  
"Sup."  
"Hi."

"Hm."

They all spoke in single syllables and looked to Alex for more information. He chuckled and clapped a hand to my back.

"Don't listen to them, they're all retards. This is Xen...what was your last name again?" He asked.

"Tas- Jiranga. Xen Jiranga." I stammered. They looked at Alex and scoffed. "Jiranga. Alex, he's a fucking nobody. Why is he sitting here?" The Linoone asked.

"Because he's actually pretty fun. And he's kind of one of Jack's punching bags...so he can relate to how much we hate that jumped-up Floatzel."

Alex turned to me again. "Call us rich kids or spoiled, but we all hate Jack. Even though you're not rich, I'm sure we can all find a common denominator here."

I smiled weakly. "Yeah...I never would have thought about sitting here, aren't you all like heirs or CEOs of multi-million dollar empires?"

They looked at each other and laughed. "Looks like we have a little follower here! How cute! Who do you recognize around here?" The female Floette squealed.

"Um...well you're Petal Hinderson, daughter of Charles Hinderson, who made his fortune from lawn care products." I said nervously.

She smiled. "That's right! What about him?"

I followed her finger to the male Linoone who was tapping away on some kind of video game system.

"That would be Cooper Adrive. His fortune came from helping his father design top-of-the-line gaming hardware. Which is pretty obvious." I laughed, earning a few chuckles from the table.

"Alright, how about her?"

I looked at the last unnamed member of the table, a Pidgeotto with feathers dyed bright blue.

"She's Val Ortenja. Her first success came from clothes design, then two years later she made her largest fortune from multiple stores that dyed hair. The coolest thing about her is that she is completely self-made, no help from parents or anything." I exclaimed, then flushed slightly.

"Too much?" I asked weakly. She smirked at me and snapped her fingers.

"Not at all! No one remembers the self-made part, so you have me impressed! Why do you know so much about us though?" Val asked sweetly.

"Oh...I like to follow the stocks and current affairs and child millionaires come up a lot there." I offered, earning a few laughs from the group.

"We may be millionaires, but Alex here is the richest. Controlling all the mineral in the region is surprising lucrative, isn't it?" Cooper joked.

Alex shrugged. "Fuck off Coop. It's all my dad anyways...I don't even want to be rich. Everything I do is judged by everyone I know...just annoying."

Petal nudged my shoulder. "Isn't that just great? A multimillionaire who doesn't even want it. I'm sure any student here would kill to have the Kuniki name, yet this little prick just wants away from it all."

I smiled at Alex. "I get it man, the fame that comes with money is awfully tiring at times."

They all turned and looked at me. "Uh...no offense man, but you wouldn't know about that?" Val suggested.

My throat locked up. _Fuck. I messed up. _"Um...I-"

Vui stepped in for the first time all lunch. "What my tongue-tied love here is trying to say is that it is a lot to take in. He knows because...he kind of lives with me now." She said.

Val and Petal squealed. "Oh my Arceus! So the rumors are true?! You guys are actually a couple now?!" They asked in unison.

Vui smiled and nuzzled my neck lovingly. "They are. And he's made me the happiest girl in the world."

Alex and Cooper groaned and eyed me. "Great. Now girls are gonna expect us to do whatever they want when we find someone we like."

I shrugged. "Sorry guys. Not much I can do when I'm around someone as amazing as her." Vui cuffed me playfully over the ears and blushed.

"Oh Arceus I'm going to throw up. Wait a second, if you two love each other so much, then why did you slap her this morning, Xen?" Alex asked.

And as if by magic, all eyes were on me again. I frowned and looked at Vui apologetically. "You guys get it. I'm like the most hated soul here, so when someone stands up for you it makes them a target as well. I didn't want a repeat of what Jack did to her, so I decided that me stopping her would keep her safe. Not the smartest move, but the best one at the time."

Petal spoke up first. "Shit, I forgot that you were even hated! You act so normal! I expected you to be all scary or freaky, but you're not even bad!"

"Real classy, Petal." Val scoffed.

"Hey, it was the truth. Dude, you're just like us. Now I'm not saying that we can hang out, since we all have expectations and such because we're always being watched by the stupid paparazzi, but feel free to sit here anytime. Sound good?" Cooper asked.

I smiled. "I'd love that. Thanks man."

Alex smirked. "Actually, I'm pretty sure he's used to some of this fame. Aren't you like super nerdy or something?"

I choked on my drink and laughed. "No! I'm smart I guess, but-"

Vui put her paw over my mouth and shook her head. "This little prick is too modest. He has an IQ of 230, so he's pretty much a fucking machine when it comes to numbers or facts. He's also not bad at battling either! He gave my dad a run for his money when they sparred a bit."

I yanked her paw away and pressed her lips to mine. "If you're going to shut me up, then at least do it the right way!" I sniggered.

"Yeah, I'm definitely throwing up now." Cooper said, making a dramatic show of his fake retching.

"We heard about your test scores! Don't you get like 100s on everything?" Val asked. I blushed and nodded slightly.

"Damn! How do you do it?" Alex asked.

I shrugged and sat back in the chair. "I don't know really. Calculations and stuff just come to me naturally. Battling is a bit harder, that took some practice to get down. Don't think I'm some great battler or anything either, I'm pretty damn awful!"

Val snorted. "Yeah right. We heard about your little gym action there. Taking out over thirty jocks and then moving at a lightning speed to take Oraq out? You're a fucking beast!"

"W-well I did it for the team. I promised them I would work as hard as I could to win. Speaking of them, where did they go?" I said, twisting around to look around the lunchroom. None of them were there.

"Who were they?" Petal asked. "I know pretty much everyone here." "A Tangela, Glameow, and a Vigoroth." I replied.

She frowned. "Uh...there's no Tangela at the school, the only Glameow here is Mrs. Paj, and the two Vigoroth here don't have gym that period...are you sure that was them?"

"Yeah, I was there too! That was them for sure." Vui offered. "Well that's weird as fuck. Transfer students?" Val asked.

"Nope. There's no record of that on the school database." Cooper said, tapping on a thin laptop. We all looked at him in shock. "What? Their password is Biggs123...not too hard to guess."

"So...who are they?" Alex asked.

_Ding ding ding ding ding _

"Ah damn. I guess we'll have to find out tomorrow. Hey Xen, thanks for coming over here. I know we're intimidating but it was a lot of fun. I live on 535 Appleview Avenue if you wanna hang sometime. Hit me up!" Alex said warmly. I smiled and nodded.

Vui and I waved goodbye and walked to the next class.

"What was that all about? Did your team really not have actual students there? Who were they?" Vui blurted out.

"Whoa there. Calm down! I personally don't know who they were, but I doubt that Petal knows everyone in the school. If she does...then I really don't know." I sighed. "Let's just finish the day. I really need a rest after all of this. Meet me by the gate after seventh period, sound good?"

"Of course. We'll work this out." She said.

"Xen! Over here!" Vui called. I smiled and walked over to the gate, where Alex, Petal, Val, and Cooper were also chatting.

"Xen! Just the man I wanted to see. Petal and I did some more research on those students...not all of it was legal...but we were right. No one like that goes to school here. So...who were they?" Cooper asked.

I grimaced and shook my head. "No clue. Should we report it?"

Alex laughed. "Are you kidding me?! Since Jared Flarate spends so much money on the school, he controls everything. If we report it then it'll go straight to him and we'll all look crazy. No, we need to keep this quiet. If it never comes up again then that's the best. Agreed?" He addressed the group, and we all nodded.

"Good. I'll see y'all tomorrow!" He said while he hopped into a red limousine that had just pulled up.

"We gotta go too. Bye! Stay cute you two!" Val and Petal called, hopping into Alex's ride. The tires spun and when the dust faded away, only Cooper, Vui and I were left.

"I'm not as lazy as them. I prefer to walk, makes the trip more fun. See you guys later!" Cooper said, then started down the road.

"Well. What a day!" I sighed, then started to walk alongside Vui. We walked back to her house and entered, empty as Surge said it would be. I collapsed onto the couch and groaned as Vui hopped on top of me. She laughed and hopped off of me, then stood in the middle of the room and watched me.

"So...I've been thinking." Vui said slowly. "Um... Are you planning on taking possession of ZTsake when you turn eighteen?"

I looked at her in confusion. She was staring at her feet and was biting her lip softly. I placed a paw on her back and stopped walking.

"First off, if you bite your lip again I swear I'm going to go crazy. Anything that causes you pain isn't okay with me, got it? Next, there isn't a question in the world that I won't answer for you, so don't be nervous. Seriously, I will answer anything you want to know. There's no need to be embarrassed or upset either. Good?"

She smiled weakly and looked me in the eyes. I ran my paws through her fur and thought.

_What will I do? I know it's my destiny to go back, but is it what I want? I've made a new life here and I don't want it to end... _

"I don't know. It's kind of meant to happen, and I know that my parents would want me to. I don't know if I want to be a multi-billionaire...I just don't know. But right now, I'm leaning towards yes."

Her face fell and her eyes grew misty. "G-good to know. Thanks for the answer."

She turned and began to walk away but I knew better. I grabbed her arm and stared her in the eyes.

"Tell me what's wrong. Did someone hurt you? If they did I swear that I'll rip them to-"

"No, it's not that. It's just...w-what happens when you take control again? You'll be world- famous and rich and powerful. What happens to 'Xen Jiranga' when Xen Tasake comes back?" Her bottom lip quivered. "What happens to us?"

I let out a slow breath. "I don't know. Xen Jiranga isn't real, it's a fake identity."

"But I love Xen Jiranga!" She cried, pushing herself away from me. "I fell in love with him to find out that he's not real! Does our relationship die when he does? TELL ME!"

She fell to the ground and sobbed. I reached down and gently pulled her close to me.

"Shh. It's all okay. Vui, please stop crying and let me explain." She shuddered violently but stayed quiet.

"Thank you. Look at the two names. Xen Jiranga and Xen Tasake. What's the same between the two?"

"N-nothing. They're completely different!" She whimpered.

"No, The first name stayed the same. Xen. It's who I am. The last name is just a title, my lineage. It tells what your past was and who you're family with. You fell in love with Xen. Not because I was a nobody, not because I was rich, you fell in love with me because of who I am. Never forget that."

She looked at me and choked on her words, so I gently pressed a paw to her lips.

"One more thing. You know that until I draw my final breath I will never stop loving you. No after what happens, you will always be mine. Even if you break up with me, even if you try to kill me, I will never love anyone else."

She tried to talk again but I continued.

"No. You asked what happens to us when I take control of my empire. Vui, with your father's permission, I-I want to bring you with me."

Her eyes widened. "W-what?"  
"I want to take you to my home and spend the rest of my life with you." "B-but I'm still 17! I still have school and-"

"I'll get a private teacher for you. Vui, all I want is to be with you. If I can't, then I won't go back to Kanto and get my birthright back. It's as simple as that." I murmured, pulling her warm body close to me.

"But what about my parents? How will they ever agree to that?" She asked softly.

I smiled softly. "I don't know if they will. All I'm hoping is that they can see that this is real and it's not some fling. Do you believe me?"

She pressed her head against the crook of my neck. "It just seems too good to be true. Why me? Why did you choose me out of all the others?"

I ran my paw along her soft purple fur. "You showed sympathy when no else would. You alone are the reason I have a reason to fight to live right now. Even if it puts me in danger, I could never see myself loving anyone else."

A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "Promise?" "Promise." I whispered.

"Then I say yes. If my parents agree then I'll gladly go with you to your rightful place. How long until you turn 18 exactly?

"Um...a week and six days. I just have to lay low and we'll be home free. Sound good?" I asked. She nodded happily and curled up close to me.

"Well I don't really feel like moving, and since it is a Friday...can we just stay here for a bit?" She whined. I nodded, pulling her closer to my chest. She sighed contentedly and tapped me on the nose with her forked tail.

"You, my love, are far too good at cuddling. What are we going to do until my parents get home?" She asked innocently. I laughed and wagged my paw in her face.

"Ah ah ah! I promised your dad that I would keep it clean! I think I know where you're going with that and I highly doubt that it was something you would want them to see." I winked, earning an angry groan from Vui.

"GAH! Why do you have to be such a rule follower?!"

I brushed my lips against hers. "Because I'm about to ask a grown man if I can take his underage daughter away from him and bring her home with me. If I don't follow his rules then that won't be happening! You'll live."

"Barely." She huffed.  
"KIDS! WE'RE HOME!" Surge's voice boomed as the doors swing open.

The servants walked into the house with multiple bags and quickly moved them to Surge and Arcilia's room.

"Keep it clean?" Surge asked with Arcilia's standing next to him and waiting for my reply. "Yes sir! It wasn't easy though..." I said as I nodded to Vui.

He laughed and smiled at me kindly. "I bet it wasn't. Thank you Xen. That means a lot in my eyes. Now who's ready for some dinner?"

"I am!" I exclaimed, nearly spilling Vui onto the floor as I jumped up onto the floor.

"Jeez, someone's eager! But then again, so am I! Let's go everyone!" He roared, then left the room in a hurry.

Arcilia's tapped my arm. "Thank you Xen. Following his few rules is really important to him so that was a good move. Keep it up and we just may like you!" She joked.

Vui and I smiled at each other and walked into the dining hall, unaware of the small party of three that was watching us from outside in the bushes.

"Yes. Target confirmed. Xen Tasake is residing with the girl named 'Vui' who appears to be in a relationship with him. S-sir? But what if they- yes sir. Target set for drop off in 0900 hours. Operation Silent Ghoul is a go. We will reconnoiter the area and send Alpha Team ASAP."

"Affirmative sir. Leave no survivors."

* * *

**Reviews? Reviews.**

VoreMistress- **Yep, pretty gnarly huh? But...it got better this chapter didn't it? If you want an OC put in then I'll try to make it just how you want c; Let me know if you want to see it happen! **

Orenji Splash- **This plot is quite twisted up isn't it? I liked the billionaire touch though, kind of neat to see how good Xen is at actually hiding who he really is. The godfather is scary, a small hint of is shown in this chapter (see if you can find it!) Yeah he messed up a few times, but he does have Vui! Lots of shady stuff happening...even more to come. No, no lemons, just a lot of teasing! Thanks for reviewing! :D**

Ten-X Legacy- **Autocorrect is a dick man...It ducking sucks! (get the joke? c;) But you are right, lots of words. I was going to split them up and add small filler in between the stories but that kind of broke it up, so I stuck with the long chunks instead :) Shh we're all crazy on the inside 0_o *cackles***

Guest- **Hmm I'm not really into TF stories but maybe you could write one! I only like to write anime or game stuff that'll stay interesting for me. Let's see...how to write a fanfic? Step 1) Plug your potato into the wall \ Step 2) Stick a pencil into it \ Step 3) Upload to ! \ That's how I write all of my stories! In all honesty though, if you want a detailed description you could make an account and PM me if you feel like it, or check out a YouTube video. Thanks for the great support, and thee will be no lemons. Sorry!**

Hunter the Weavile- **Hey thanks man! I'm glad you liked your OC introduction as well, and I hope I nailed him in this chapter! :D**

Aurora- **Xen is pretty heroic, maybe because he's related to an assassin? Or because he has an assassin godfather? Maybe...juuust maybe c; No prob, Pocky is for all the otakus of the world! (A female otaku is still called an otaku for all the people who were about to try to disprove me c;)**

spark- **Thanks man! Glad ya liked it! :D**

dusk5261- **Um...you never told me about an OC that you wanted in the story so I don't know what to put in for your request? You'd have to PM me and give me some details on them. It's a bit late for OCs now but I'm sure I could fit them in somehow :)**

trans am king- **Ah another long wait for this one too :P Sorry about that. Hopefully the updates will come quicker from now on! ;)**

dull umbron- **Aw thats great! My whole goal here is to write for you guys so if you enjoy it then I'm happy :D Thanks a ton!**

**Those were some great reviews! Thanks a ton for all of the kind words and praise. Although recently I had an unfortunate run-in with a few individuals who insulted my stories and choices in a very harsh manner just for the sake of hating. That is called 'flaming' and is not permitted on my page in any way, shape, or form. Mind you, I want criticism and I want honest feedback, but if someone starts saying hurtful things out of spite or anger, it will result in a permanent ban from this page. I don't expect to see that too much here because you guys have been so helpful and polite in your feedback, which is amazing and all I could ask for. The bottom line is please just use common sense and don't say anything that could cause harm to me or anyone else unless you're trying to help fix it as well. I've had people that criticize me but then give me help or feedback on how to better the ways I write, and I've taken all of it to heart. If that keeps happening then we'll be golden :)**

**Once again, thanks for the insane support and help you've shwn me and I hope my stories bring you as much joy as I find in writing them. I'll be uploading again sometime soon! Stay awesome ;)**

**-Shade**


	6. Chapter 6: Phantom

**Well. This has been what, almost three months since I swore to update more? Hm, seems that I broke that promise by just a tad...but I'm here now! And hopefully some of you are still here with me as well haha... *crickets***

**Basically life happened and I haven't had enough time to decently edit or revise this after I typed out a rough draft for quite some time. However, thanks to the glorious season that is summer, I'm finished and free to slave over a mechanical keyboard in a dark room to create words for all of you to read xD Ah yes...summer is great...**

**So I hope you enjoy it! This section is slightly shorter than the rest since I didn't want to continue and leave it at a cliff hanger for even longer, so for once in my story writing career, there's a definite end to a chapter xD As always, reviews are at the bottom and take care c;**

**-Shade**

* * *

"Okay, I have to know, who makes all of this food?!" I cried as we entered the dining hall once again. Platter after platter of perfectly cooked food was spread over the table, each plate looking better than the last.

_Her parents really do cook for everyone, don't they? I guess that's just what they do...some people are good in the world, yet I somehow manage to attract all of the bad ones._

"Our chefs! They're Psychic types like Vui, so they're able to do a ton of stuff at once! They can cook soup, chop meat, and mince vegetables all at once, so three chefs can prepare all of this with ease instead of a fully staffed kitchen." Arcilia answered cheerfully.

Surge nodded in agreement. "It's true, they're master cooks. But they're also skilled at battle too, since we need a lot of security around here. They typically don't have to battle because the security guards take care of that, but if they're ever needed to, they can provide some really good backup. Although it's not like anyone would attack here, you've seen how powerful I am and the whole forest knows it."

"Yeah, I really don't wanna mess with you again. That punch still aches a little bit!" I confessed, rubbing my forehead and smiling. "At least we know that the ladies of the house are gonna be safe." I added.

"For sure. That's my number one reason for moving out here too, on top of the great views. There's virtually no one here who has any bones to pick with me, so all my old enemies would have to travel from the regions they're in to get here. And even then, who would really care that much?" he chuckled.

"Well do you have some serious enemies? Or just Pokémon that are mad with you?" I asked as we sat down. The servants brought the first course as we spoke, some type of fish slathered in a dark black sauce.

"Well if you don't know, Red's team was very infamous when we were together. We didn't exactly make a lot of other Trainers or groups happy, so yes. I do have quite a few enemies, but they wouldn't come here. As long as I'm not bothering them, we're safe here." he said proudly.

I smiled and nodded in return, then turned to Vui and motioned if I should go on. She nodded 'yes' and smiled widely.

I cleared my throat, gaining Surge and Arcilia's attention. "So...I have a question." I started slowly.

"Of course Xen, go on." Arcilia said warmly, stopping her eating and watching me expectantly. Surge did the same and eyed me curiously.

"So I'm turning eighteen in a couple of weeks, and I've decided to go back to ZTsake and take control."

Surge grinned. "Good choice. I know that you'll be a great ahead of operations, just like your father was. Be sure to come and visit some time! You're a good kid and Vui seems to like having you here an awful lot..." he said, motioning towards his blushing daughter.

"Dad! Don't embarrass me while we're eating!" she whined, earning a smirk to cross Arcilia's face as she locked eyes with mine and winked.

"Oh, alright...us adults have to find fun in our lives too!" he insisted with a small grin. "And you know that we're just messing around Xen, you really are a great guy and a great guardian for our little girl." he said, suddenly serious.

"T-thank you sir. But there's something else." I said quietly.

Surge looked at Arcilia and then back to me in amusement. "Well come on then! There's probably nothing you could say that would throw me for a loop." he chuckled.

"Well...you see...I want to take-" **ding dong**

"Oh hold on one second son, just let me get the door." Surge said, standing up and starting to walk over.

"Sir! Please sit and eat, I'll get it for you!" a Machoke called.

Surge chuckled. "Nonsense! I can get a door on my own."

But the Machoke insisted. "Sir, with all due respect, this is what you pay me for. If I can't do my job then I don't deserve to serve a family as great as yours! Please."

Surge chuckled again. "Well I do like your reasoning, and I do need to learn how to kick back. It's not like some mass murderer is waiting at the door!"

"Thank you, sir." the Machoke smiled. He walked to the door and opened it.

"So Xen! What was it that you wanted to tell me?" Surge asked.

My face flushed and I chewed on my lip. "Well you see sir, when I go back to my company, I want to take-"

"I don't think you're taking any trips, Master Tasake." a familiar voice hissed. I glanced up in confusion and felt my hair stand on end. As I realized who had spoken I could almost hear my life being ripped apart.

It was the Delcatty from earlier, the one who had called herself 'Cera'. And she was surrounded by the other three Pokémon that were on my team during the dodgeball match. Curiously enough, they all had wide grins on their faces, each malicious smile full of contempt.

"M-Master S-urge..." a deep voice croaked in pain. I dragged my eyes from the Cera's face, past the sneering grins of her accomplices, and watched the Machoke that had insisted to go to the door cough deep crimson blood onto the rug. I trailed my eyes up and watched in horror as she pushed down and her paw entered the Machoke's back even deeper, bringing a crushing roar of pain from him.

"Y-you monster! Let him go!" Arcilia demanded. She went to move forward but Surge stepped in front of her.

"If you know what's good for yourself, you and your little crew should leave now." he said with acid in his tone. He turned to me. "Xen, heal him with Moonlight once they're gone." he demanded, to which I nodded back.

Cera smirked. "Oh how cute! You actually care about your pathetic servants...too bad that I'm not leaving." she finished with a wink, then jammed her paw straight through the Machoke's chest, his eyes filling with pain and then turning glassy as the final drops of life drained from them.

"You...made a mistake." Arcilia said shakily, then pushed past Surge and opened her maw, spitting huge icicles towards Cera, who was licking her paw clean.

"MOM! STAY BACK!" Vui screamed, but her mother paid her no attention. I watched from my position, rooted in place.

"Fool...you think that you could beat me-hm?" Cera said in amusement. We all watched in shock as Arcilia launched attack after attack at Cera, each icy dagger leaving a small scratch on the Delcatty's cream-colored fur.

"She's going to win!" Vui cried happily. I watched Arcilia and gritted my teeth.

_What is Cera doing? Why isn't she attacking? At this rate, she'll be injured to the point beyond fighting! And I know that she isn't that stupid to not fight back, especially since she has such a large advantage over Arcilia!_

_"I'm sure that I know a few things about it that you don't." _For some reason the conversation we had earlier in Physics replayed in my head. How she didn't even have to look at the equation to rattle off the rest of the equation, no, how she never even broke eye contact! This was a fighter who knew exactly what was going to happen, and that made her incredibly dangerous.

_So that makes her an idiot! For taking this much damage and not even trying to fight back is a move that only a complete...idiot...would..._

"MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!" I roared. "ARCILIA! GET AWAY!"

She looked at me and shook her head in rage. "She has to pay for what she did to our employment! No one can do this to our family and expect to walk away!"

"SHE'S USING BIDE!" I cried in desperation. The room went silent and Arcilia's eyes widened.

The world was suddenly slowed down and I watched as Arcilia looked back at the intruders and stopped her attack. Suddenly, through the smoke, a dark figure leapt forward with an unreal amount of speed.

"Don't bother saying your goodbyes, the rest of your pathetic family will be with you soon enough." she giggled, then dragged her claws over Arcilia's side, the Scratch slicing straight across Arcilia's frame.

The room went silent at that second, the only sound being the dull thud of a body hitting the floor and a weak exhale from a Glaceon's lungs. Arcilia's side slowly stained the rug as Cera hopped back towards her accomplices and licked her paw clean of all the blood.

"NO!" Vui screamed, running towards her defeated mother. She hugged Arcilia's as tightly as she could muster and gasped in shock. "S-She's still alive!" Vui cried to us.

"Surge! We have to get away from here!" I called, beckoning to the open door. He turned and looked at me with a look I didn't recognize.

"No. They have to die. CHEFS!" he snarled, summoning three Psychic types, a Mr. Mime, an Alakazam, and a Hypno at once. They formed a defensive wall around us and watched the intruders begin to fan out.

"Tch. Only level 60s? That makes them easy prey to us! Are you really going to sacrifice your slaves so you can escape?" Cera chuckled.

"You're dead! When I get my paws on you you're-"

"Sir. Go." the Psychic-type wall shielding us said blankly.

"No. We're fighting with you no matter what." Surge hissed. "I don't even know who she is and I need to erase her from the fucking universe."

"DO YOU WANT YOUR DAUGHTER TO BE HURT TOO?! RUN!" the Alakazam spat, the other Psychic types nodding in agreement.

I opened my mouth to ask Surge where we needed to go, but he stepped forward and growled in anger.

"Listen to me. You do know that my wife was just hurt by that bitch and her mindless drones, correct? I don't fucking care if I get killed, she HAS to pay for that! Either way, I'm taking her down with me!"

"Oh! I still haven't introduced myself! I'm Cera, a top class assassin for the Tasake Empires. I also serve as Ravni's personal secretary and assistant for small jobs like this. And you." she smirked, nodding towards me, "are Master Tasake. You have no idea how much I wanted to kidnap you after that stupid Physics class, but I had to stick to the plan. After all, thirteen years of searching to finally find your target was almost too much."

I swiveled around and stared at her angrily. "What do you want from me?! I haven't done anything to you people for the last thirteen years!"

"Because." she started, walking towards me with a jaunty smile on her face. "You own ZTsake. As much as we want to, no decisions can be made and no stocks can be sold without you present. And of course, no one wants a stupid squirt like you owning it, so we need you to sign away your rights."

I chuckled. "I don't think so. If you had come to me peacefully with my godfather and a good reason, I'll gladly sign it away. I don't even want to be a billionaire."

"Perfect! We'll bring you right back to the company and-"

"But you didn't fucking do that, now did you? You came in, killed my friend's servant, hurt her mother, and planned to destroy me after I signed it away." I hissed.

She stopped in shock, then laughed aloud. "Oh please! It's not going to be hard to get you to do it you outrageous child. We can simply torture you until we get it."

I sped forward and moved my maw close to her ear. "I don't think you understood me, bitch. You aren't getting my signature. Ever."

"Oh we'll see about that. One, Two, and Three! Take them!" she snapped, and the three Pokémon I had been playing dodgeball with only hours ago turned towards me with malice in their eyes.

I felt my body shift off the floor and be yanked back in a split second, then slammed to the ground as a gruff voice spat "GET DOWN!" I instinctively tried to lash out but stopped as a barrage of Psybeams zipped past my nose, mere inches from touching me.

"You idiot! I said to stay down!" the voice said again, his face coming into focus again. It was Surge.

"T-Thanks." I said in shock as he pushed me up.

"No time for that! We have to get you and Vui out of here! Take her and run!" he urged, shielding us as the chefs continued their infinite barrage of attacks.

"Dad, no! I can't leave you here with Mom in such bad shape! What if she-"

"Vui. You're the best thing that your mother and I ever made. Please don't let us lose you." he whispered with a tear rolling down his cheek.

Then he turned to me. "Xen. Take her and run far away from here. We can hold them off for a little while but-"

"No."

"Xen. It's not a request. I'm telling you to-"

"No. Not again. Never again." I whispered.

"Xen! Go away from here, before-"

"I can't. No one else is going to die because of me, I-I can't have it happening anymore. I'm sick of people fighting for me and getting hurt. I'm fighting for myself."

He grabbed my neck and looked at me dead in the eyes. "My daughter is in danger."

I stared back at him without flinching. "So is your life, the chefs' lives and most importantly, Arcilia's."

"You kids make me so...fine. But you're protecting Vui." he growled, then moved towards Cera.

"Alright, that's enough!" he called to the chefs. They stopped their attacks and waited as the dust around Cera and her agents cleared,

"One, Two. Attack the Psychic types. Three, go after Master Tasake. I'll take care of the Jolteon." Cera said calmly, making our hearts sink.

She wasn't even damaged. Nor were the agents, the only evidence of the attacks where a destroyed floor around their feet.

"Intercept Three. The rest of you, follow my lead." Surge said with a steel in his voice that I had only heard Ota speak with during rescue missions back when he was still alive. It was the voice of a leader who was totally focused on the task at hand.

"Two and One, provide support to Three. Ignore the Psychics." Cera said emotionlessly. In a second, the agents focused on Vui and me.

"So you wanna play the hostage game? Fine with me. All chefs, focus on keeping Tasake and my daughter safe. Any means necessary. I'll take her on my own." Surge spat. He moved over to Arcilia and nudged her with his nose, earning a small smile and wince from his mate. He nodded at the invisible signal and stepped in front of her.

"Oh? I thought you were coming after me." Cera chuckled. "What's the matter?"

"I care more about my family than you. But you don't know what that's like, now do you?"

Cera smirked. "Oh but you're sorely mistaken. You see, this is about family for me as well. Master Tasake here is the nephew of my boss, and my boss's priorities are my priorities. After all this searching, I'm not leaving any room for error, even if your family is so precious to you."

She turned to me. "Master Tasake, this is your last chance. If you refuse again, I will be left with the option to take force, and they will all die. You can stop this if you just come with us. So what'll it be? Are you going to chicken out again and have someone else save you or are you going to not waste any more lives?"

"What did you just say." I said coldly. "What did you say."

Cera chuckled. "Oops, have I hit a sore spot there? It didn't take Ravni, or your uncle as you may insist that I call him, to find out what happened. You just happened to suddenly stop exploring near the canyon and then left? It wasn't hard to find out that you were the cause of Zeus and Aries' deaths."

I flinched. "Don't say that. It was an accident." I said, clenching my paws into the ground and leaving marks running down the wood. "Don't."

"So you're still in denial? How weak. If it wasn't for your useless carcass then they would still be alive! Now give up before you- what are you doing?" she asked.

_I knew it was my fault, but it certainly was an accident in any case! Did I really...kill them? No...no. It can't be true. It was just an accident! But with Ota too? Did I...is it really me?_

"Well this is boring. Decide now please so I can either kill everyone here or take you with me." she grumbled.

"Xen! Don't listen to her! It's not your fault!" Vui cried.

"Xen...don't make any rash moves here. You don't have to give yourself up, we can still fight back and-" Surge started.

"Master Tasake? I need an answer." Cera said impatiently.

Vui whipped around to Cera and growled in anger. "Stop calling him 'Master' Tasake! You're tricking him into believing you!"

"Excuse me, Little Miss Princess, but unlike your awful family, we believe in rankings. And as of right now, that Umbreon is the most valuable person in the company, and he's underage, so he'll be referred to as 'Master'." She eyed her with a smirk. "Not my fault that you don't respect him enough to call him by his true title."

"Maybe we don't call him the right name, but we treat him normally! Unlike you and your disgusting mob that just causes trouble!" Vui retorted, stepping in front of me and glaring at Cera.

"Normal? Master Tasake is NOT normal by any means. Do you even know what he can do? He's the prodigal son of Zeus Tasake! His IQ is off the charts, and that leads to a very...unique skill set. Surely you know that he can-"

"Shut up. I've left that behind me." I spat.

Cera eyed me in mild amusement. "You'll never be able to get rid of it. You and I both know that."

"I will not become one of them. Not now, not ever. I'll go with you if you promise to leave them alone forever." I said emotionlessly, nudging Vui aside and facing Cera face-to-face.

Cera winked at me. "Good choice sir. Let's move out."

I felt my legs being gripped by some type of force and saw the enemy Tangela grinning at me. "Good choice, boss. This is just to make sure you don't run away on us."

"XEN! STOP IT RIGHT NOW AND GET BACK HERE!" Surge growled and stood up.

Cera cocked her head curiously at him. "He just gave you an out. Are you sure that you're going to waste it?"

I turned to Surge and plastered a weak smile onto my face. "We tried. Thanks for everything sir. And I'm awfully sorry for all of this, it's all my fault."

"Fuck that. You aren't going anywhere with those monsters, even if you are trying to be noble and heroic. Nothing is going to happen to you when I'm still alive." Surge said, eyeing Cera with a deadly look.

She shrugged. "Fine with me. One, hold Master Tasake while Two, Three and myself kill all of these ungrateful wastes of space."

"NO! YOU PROMISED!" I yelled. "YOU PROMISED ME YOU WOULD LEAVE THEM ALONE!"

Cera turned and stuck her tongue out at me. "Nope. I just winked and told you that you made a good choice. Did I ever agree that I wouldn't hurt them?"

"Y-you tricked me? Impossible, you...please let them go. I'll do anything you want! I swear!" I rasped. "Just don't hurt them!"

Cera chuckled. "I planned on killing them after we moved you out anyways. Why would it hurt to do it now? You're obviously used to having death happen because of you, this is no different."

"No-"

"Besides, I can already make you do anything that I want. You're not a challenge to me at all. Now this Electric-type is a different story, but we'll see how good he is."

"I'm going to kill you..." Surge growled, then leapt forward with a fury I hadn't seen before.

Cera smirked and dipped to the side, easily dodging his attack. "You're a higher level than I am-"

She stopped and shifted her head without even looking behind her, Surge's jaws passing through thin air.

"-but I was trained as an assassin. And because of that-"

She paused again and accelerated until she was nose to nose with the Jolteon and grinned.

"-I will always be better than you." she smiled and slammed her clawed paw into Jolt's side with a sickening slicing motion.

"STOP!" Vui cried. "STOP HURTING HIM!"

"Oh dear. She still isn't dead yet? Two and Three, defeat those low level Psychic-types and take her out. I can't stand her unrelenting babbling-"

Cera stopped as Surge's paw connected with her stomach. She coughed and hopped away with a wince. Surge's paw stayed in it's place. "I'm surprised you recovered so fast, especially since hitting me that hard means you have a lot of energy left over."

Jolt staggered to a standing position and eyed her viciously. "No one...insults...my family."

Cera zipped away and clicked her tongue in disappointment. "I'm not surprised no one else has come close to beating you. You do have a lot of speed and stamina, coupled with your battle knowledge to make you a worthy opponent."

"Ha! That's not true! Dad's power was matched by Xen!" Vui exclaimed happily, and causing a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach to form.

Cera's ears perked at that. "Really...so that means that you DO know how to use it?" she asked, looking at me in shock.

"No, it was just a fluke. He beat me in no time at all, I just got a few lucky dodges in." I lied, hoping that they would play along.

No such luck. "You're kidding, right? You dodged me, you threw attacks back at me, and the only reason that you lost was to protect me from accidentally hitting Vui." Surge said.

Cera whipped around and stared at me. "You're just like your father, always thinking for others and never for yourself. It's sickening."

"My father was a hundred times the man Ravni can ever hope to be, and you know it." I spat back.

Cera smiled. "Two and Three? Stop playing around and kill them. I'll stop playing with this Jolteon so we can speed this up. Our boss over here has a family reunion to get to."

With that, she turned back to Surge and grinned. "Sorry, but this is going to be our win. Bye!"

She took a deep breath and sped towards Surge, who leapt away instantly. Cera adjusted her foot position and rocketed off the floor towards the already-airborne Surge and slammed into him in the blink of an eye. Surge fell back but Cera was on him again, slamming him into the ground with enough force to crack the floor.

I shifted my attention to Vui, who was being guarded by the Psychic-type chefs. Two and Three ran different directions and systematically whittled them down, each blow more deadly than the last. The chefs were trapped, and that this rate they would be beaten.

_I hate Cera. I hate my godfather. I hate me. I-I have to make this work. But if she's positive that I can activate it, all hope for me is gone. But I have to try and go down swinging._

"Hey." I said to the agent they called 'One'. He still had my legs locked together with an iron grip.

"Yes, Master Tasake?" he answered. I caught a glint of what may have been admiration in his eye, but it was gone before I could determine.

"Are you loyal to Ravni or to me?" I asked.

He looked at me strangely. "Well technically I'm loyal to you, but Ravni is the- oh. I suppose I am loyal to you."

"How would you like to help me do something?" I asked.

"What is it?" he asked softly, drawn in by the mystery. I smiled and nodded to my organic bindings.

"Would you mind taking these off? I know it goes against the orders that Cera directly gave you, but I cannot let them die." I whispered.

His eyes widened. "Are you...asking me to help free you?!" he whispered in a rushed tone. "But that's mutiny!"

"I know." I said. He looked at me in disbelief. "But. I have to save them, and I'm sure that you know what that means."

If Tangela had a jaw, it would have hit the floor. "You mean you're going to go into-" I stopped him with a paw to where I thought his mouth was, and marveled that my bindings had come free.

"Good. I promise that if I win this, you won't be hurt. You're a good kid." I exclaimed, earning a huge smile from him.

"That means so much coming from you-" he stopped and looked down at his stomach. There was a large, gaping hole where he should have had flesh and tangles of vines.

"Traitor. Go die in the hole you belong in." Cera spat as she stopped her Hyper Beam attack. "And you." she said, turning her attention to me. "Are not leaving here."

I looked into the Tangela's eyes one last time as he fell backwards. "Win." was the last word to leave his body before he accepted the cold embrace of death.

"You killed him." I said bitterly. "He was only doing the right thing."

"You are our only objective. If he cannot follow that objective then he is a hinderance to the mission and to our team." she retorted.

"I can't let you get away with what you did. You do know that, correct?" I asked quietly.

"What in the world are you talking about! You can't do anything to me! Even if you are our boss, we're only here to get you to sign away your rights. Not to mention the fact that you're far times weaker than I am. Just look at this joke!" she pointed to Surge. "I haven't even tried to go serious with him yet."

"B-Bullshit! You're trying!" he retorted angrily.

Cera shrugged. "Think what you want." Then she turned to me. "This is what you could've been able to do had you stayed. Even though he's around ten levels higher than me, he still can't come close to my abilities."

"Stop talking." I commanded. Cera looked at me curiously.

"Are you finally going to suck it up and see how weak you are? Fine by me, attack me whenever you're ready."

"No. You come to me." I said with steel in my tone.

"And what makes you in charge? If I remember correctly, you're just a weak Umbreon with no-"

"I've told you once. If I have to tell you again then you're going to regret it."

Cera shrugged. "If you insist. I'm gonna wipe that cocky act right off your face, _Master _Tasake."

I glared at her. "Are you going to talk all day or are we going to fight?" I said calmly.

"XEN! Don't taunt her!" Vui called. I looked over at her and saw that the chefs were still holding up to the barrage of attacks.

"I'll do whatever the fuck I want. After all, I am her boss. And she's nothing more than a mere messenger."

That was the final straw. Cera sped towards me at an asinine speed and bared her teeth.

_Target enraged. Force to speed ratio is harsh, dodge and counter with a Shadow Ball._

I dipped to the side as she was about to collide with me and shot a Shadow Ball at her back, hitting her square on.

_Slight effect. Special attacks are risky, stick to Physical._

"How did you do that?!" she spat as she got up.

"I don't think it's polite to speak to your boss in that manner." I stated.

She leapt towards me again with a zigzag pattern, moving a speed nearly impossible to see.

_Serpentine tactics. Twice right and three left, ending on right. Intercept with Dark Pulse to knock back, follow up with Sucker Punch._

I watched her move towards me and let a Dark Pulse fire as she came into the third right jump and blew her back. I sped forward and slammed my paw into her side, catapulting her into a wall and causing cracks to web out from the point of impact.

"Y-You really are using it." she gasped. "How can a shrimp like you use that?!"

"I'm the son of Zeus Tasake. I highly doubt that I wouldn't be able to use it." I retorted.

"CAN SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT THE HELL HE'S DOING?!" Surge and Vui yelled in unison.

Cera looked at them in disgust. "Peasants. What he's using is a type of metaphysical bypasser, a link that allows him to unite his body and mind."

"Isn't that what we all do when we move or fight?" Surge asked.

Cera shook her head. "Idiot. We transfer commands from our mind to our bodies to complete actions. What he's doing is eliminating those ties and making his reaction and process time one and the same."

"So he's processing really fast?" Vui chimed in.

Cera groaned again. "In the most simple of layman's terms, yes. Tasake's 'Phantom Sense' or otherwise known as 'Hunter Mode' doesn't hold him back like the rest of us. In this state, fighting is all that's on his mind."

"Stop. Talking." I snarled. "You knew that this would happen! That's why you made the weakest member of your team guard me! And why you killed him."

Cera smirked and stood up effortlessly. "So I suppose you also know that I haven't been trying too hard. Want to go with no holding back?"

"I wouldn't want it any other way."

Cera zipped forward and disappeared out of sight. I closed my eyes and lifted my ears up.

_Top speed. Optical observation not possible. Ricocheting left, right, forward, down. Pattern existent. Shoot Shadow Ball to right to discombobulate._

Without looking, I shot a Shadow Ball into the wall, causing an explosion and a rain of plaster and dust.

_Left, down, forward. NOW._

I snapped my eyes open and watched as a tail slapped into my face at full speed, flinging me back into the other side of the room.

"Haha! Tasake isn't so good now is he?" Cera crooned as I staggered back up, spitting dust out of my mouth and wiping it from my eyes.

_Spun midair. Direct hit. Health down 12% Vision obscured, Auditory informational relay crucial for thirty seconds._

"Good one." I said smoothly. "Well executed."

"I know what it was, child." she spat back. "It was flawless."

I turned and faced where I thought her voice was coming from. "Look at your tail."

I heard her shuffling around and a gasp of horror. "WHAT!?"

I smirked. "You didn't seriously think that I would give you a free hit all because you were moving fast, did you?"

I opened my eyes and rubbed them free of any dirt left, then started attacking.

_Target injured. Bite was successful, target's tail now damaged. Minor shock, hindered movement. Flank left, fake right and attack from behind with Quick Attack._

I stepped forward and effortlessly surged forward, pressing off of the ground to the left with enough force to cause the floor to crack. Then I whipped to the side and started towards her with intent to hit, causing her to block from that side. I smiled and pressed off once when I was mere inches away from her, flinging backwards and forwards again to throw her off guard.

"Wha-" she started before I slammed into her left side with as much force I could muster, launching her into the wall I had just been hit into not even minutes before.

"YOU WANNA GO?! LETS GO!" she screamed, getting up and launching towards me again.

_Target enraged. Heath still high. Block and counter any attacks._

I leapt towards her as she sped towards me and ducked as she dragged her claws through the air, inches from my head. I countered by jabbing my feet into the air and successfully scratching her, then twisted again to slam my paw into the back of her head, crushing her into the ground.

She stood up again and leapt towards me, to which I countered by trying to slide underneath her, but she caught my back with her claws and flipped me towards the group of chefs.

_Velocity high, chance of impact with allies at 100% Raise power level to 77%_

I spiked my power and felt my muscles strain at the power. I stayed on my path to hit the group and smirked.

_Approaching point of no return. No options available besides collision. Brace for impact._

"HA!" Cera cried triumphantly as I slammed into the group and skidded into the wall. "Looks like the fabled son of Zeus isn't so good after all, even with Phantom-"

"Shadow Ball." I said emotionlessly as I raised my maw up to the roof. The purple energy ball slammed into the ceiling and tore a hole through the plaster with a violent tearing sound, letting the night become visible.

"What the...why would you fire that at the ceiling? You could have done insane damage if you pointed that at me!" Cera growled.

I locked eyes with her and clicked my tongue. "You make it seem like I'm trying to beat you."

Her eyes widened in curiously but before she could say anything I spoke first.

"Raise power level to 98% Moonlight." I said softly and nearly cried out in pain as my muscles started to tear themselves apart with the power. A bright white light exploded into the room and targeted Surge, Vui, Arcilia, and the chefs.

I collapsed onto the ground in pain and chuckled weakly. "Heh. Looks like you lose."

Cera clenched her teeth in anger. "What the fuck is wrong with you?! You could have killed everyone here if you put that much power into an actual attack!" she roared. "WHY WON'T YOU FIGHT FOR REAL?!"

I shook my head. "And that is why you will never understand a Tasake. Since you know I can kill you right now, are you sure that you still want to mess with me?"

Cera shrugged. "Yep. One, go ahead."

I turned around and looked at the Tangela laying on the floor peacefully.

"You idiot, he's dead because you-"

"Oh for fucks sake, One you can drop the act." Cera added.

I turned around again and gasped in shock as a thick vine went right through my shoulder.

"AAAAAGH!" I screamed as I tried to get away."

_Shoulder hit. Nervous system going into overdrive, chance of panic increasing. Blood loss at beyond acceptable rates. Auto shut-down commencing._

"GET OUT OF HERE!" I called to Vui and her family. "RUN!"

I slammed into the ground and felt two more vines stab into my back. I turned around to see the Tangela smiling over me.

"Damn. I guess I was a little bit too hard, wasn't I?" he sighed.

"No. That's perfect. Now he won't resist." Cera snapped as she approached me. A smile crossed her face. "An Umbreon...who would've thought that the son of such a great man would become a demon..."

I opened my maw but she whipped me across the face with her paw. "Oh no, I'm in charge now. And we're going to make your life-hello?"

_Auto shut-down complete. Recovery mode enabled. Health at 12%_

_"Divert 3% to Psychic."_

_Diversion complete_

_"Vui. Listen to me. Take your family and run. Don't worry about me, just run. If you don't...then they will use you to get to me. Leave. I promise, and I'm serious, that one day I will take you back to ZTsake when it's mine."_

_"Xen? How?"_

_"My health is dropping because of this. I have to go. Keep them safe. If you ever need sanctuary, go to my home region of Kanto and request for Lazo at the first inn you get to. When I escape, I'll be there."_

_"But-"_

_"Goodbye for now. I love you."_

_Shut down core process. Activate self-regeneration. Health at 9% and climbing._

I let my muscles go loose and slipped into a cold world filled with darkness.

* * *

**Ok, I guess I lied just a bit, since that was a pretty anticlimactic ending :P In any case, I'll just try to make them a bit quicker so no one thinks that I'm dead or anything c; **

**Review time!**

dusk5261- **Aye glad you liked it mate. Thanks for all of the added support! C:**

Hunter the Weavile- **I'll try to upload more from now on and settle into a good flow again so updates aren't random :)**

TheAuraAssassinLucario- **Wow. It's been some time since I've met someone who gets every single point I'm trying to convey through my stories! :3 And while some people tell me that what I try to do makes it seem less "fun" and more like an actual novel (which it isn't, since it's just a fanfiction) it still makes me happy to add a few things in there that everyone can relate to. As for your compliments, I really do try to make each chapter unique and as deep as I can make it so it appeals to a lot of viewers :) And what you say is very true, never give up and remember...haters gonna hate ;D Thanks for the great review and I hope you stick around for more to come!**

Orenji Splash- **I threw you for a curve there! Cera isn't a friend at all! :o I swear, if I add many more plot twists into my stories then they'll be close to impossible to follow! xD And while I must stick to my non-erotica form of writing (which I don't do simply for the fact that I choose not to) there IS a lot of hinting...so use your imaginations to fill in the blanks that I left for you all c; Fun fact! All of the names that I use in my stories are original and 100% fake! Yes, fake. I do this so no one can steal my characters or plot and because it adds a unique flair so not every Umbreon is called "Blacky" and so on...unoriginality is the bane of all writing!**

Aurora- **I am a pretty dramatic writer. Yep, assassins are around every corner, makes the plot especially fun to write when you can add things like these in with relative ease thanks to proper staging :D And I don't "ship" many characters together, but the pairings that I find to be the most fun / writable are found throughout my stories c:**

Baby Mama Valkyria- **Well after so many dark chapters, I had to make at least one of them kind of light and fun ;) And I should have mentioned this along with the last chapters, but I do NOT condone sexual inequality or stereotypical gender roles in any way, shape, or form. I wrote Xen slapping Vui for the sole reason of making the story flow, not because of any of my personal views. And I do suppose that being a master at high-speed processing does help a bit at dreadfully pointless organized sports xD**

Feanor's Rage- **Ah! So sorry for making you wait so long then! A month and a half since that review is a long time...hope you're still here with me! *fingers crossed***

trans am king- **This one was a bit shorter, but it's a lot of action! Hope that makes up for it :D**

\- **Alas, I am quite evil. Leaving people at a cliffhanger like that was worthy of the death penalty wasn't it xD I left it nice and calm at the end of this on though c;**

13- **Aw well I'm glad that I could make that impact on a reader :) And as for the favorite, don't worry about it! While it is cool to get high numbers, I much rather enjoy talking to readers and hearing it from them personally :) You sense that something good was going to happen?! Something interesting always happens in my stories! If something boring happened then I would stop writing, because the second it stops being fun is when it's no longer a hobby for me c; Hope you enjoyed it!**

spark- **Best one yet? I think they are getting better and better as they go on, aren't they? Just wait to see the next chapter, so many expectations are going to be shattered it'll be like watching a movie in 144p vs 2160p 4K! (I might have exaggerated just a tad aha...)**

dinomonfan- **I saw your request on my other story, but seriously dude. Just make an account and chat away with me there! It's far easier than waiting for me to upload a story, plus I respond to PMs the day of or the day after I get them :) Cheers!**

RandomCritic- **Loving the username man! And here it is, sorry for the extra long wait :/ Do you really like this story better than S&amp;S? If so then I'll work harder to make sure that they're both being updates more rapidly so everyone can have their cake and eat it too c;**

Arkraiththeepicbrony- **That was the hardest username I've had to type in a while lol. And this isn't exactly a shoutout thing (I don't do sellouts), this is just a way for me to respond to the reviews that people leave and see what they want :) I always respond as well, so don't worry about it c;**

Anonymous 101- **The work may be a bit slow at times, but I hope that it's always good when I hit publish c: Thanks for the kind words!**

TheNoAccounter- **Well wipe your eyes and drink some liquids, because next chapter is gonna have your eyes dripping from all of the feels x)**

Guest- **New chapters are very random during the school year for me, but now that I'm free, new chapters should be coming every other week or so, with the bare minimum at once a month :)**

Guest- **Chapter done! And it was already written, I just had to go through it and edit, revise, write these responses, clean up any errors, add effects like italics and such. It's a surprising amount of work but I love to do it :) Hope you enjoyed it!**

**And that's it ladies and gents (or other)! I find it really awesome to know that even when I'm not active you guys still support me and leave reviews, which is why I want to thank you once again for being such a great community :) I seriously don't think you guys realize how cool it is for me to see all of these comments and know the impact that I can make on you all. It's so amazing to see and really inspiring c': If you ever need to talk, my PM box is always open and I always reply. Thanks again, and have a great start to the summer c;**

**-Shade**


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